


EARTH WANDERERS

by MaoNome



Category: Macross - All Media Types, Macross Zero, Robotech The Macross Saga, macross do you remember love?
Genre: F/M, firstspacewar, lovetriangle, protoculture, sfd1Macross, zentraedis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:21:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29309517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaoNome/pseuds/MaoNome
Summary: A Misa-Hikaru story set on the universe of Macross: Do you remember love? -specifically during their wanderings on the ravaged Earth.
Relationships: Hayase Misa/Ichijou Hikaru, Lisa Hayes/Rick Hunter
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody this is a Misa-Hikaru story set on the universe of Macross: Do you remember love?
> 
> I recently read the 1984 light novel by Sukehiro Tomita based on the movie... The author is also the screenwriter of the theatrical version, and I must say that the whole story is beautiful and well focused on the Hikaru/Misa couple.
> 
> I was also kind of inspired by some lovely fanfiction written by Japanese fans, there named SS- SideStories ,and beautiful fanart. I'm happy that there are so many Hikaru/Misa fans all over the world after almost 40 years since the first Macross was aired.

**EARTH WANDERERS**  
**a Hikaru and Misa story**

  
-UN Federation Pacific fleet offensive Aircraft... Prometheus...  
Lieutenant Misa Hayase's voice cracked on the last syllable as the terrible reality unfolded before their eyes. That planet, that blasted land in the midst of nuclear storms was... Earth.  
-no way  
he said  
-this is ... our earth  
she retorted  
Lieutenant Misa Hayese felt tears welling up in her eyes, as in the blurred view in front of her, the majestic aircraft carrier Prometheus stood against the stormy sky and the violent ocean waves that slammed into the rear bridge.  
The two young officers quickly dismounted from the Valkyrie that had landed on the sand in gerwalk mode. Lieutenant Hikaru Ichijo tried to offer his hand to his senior officer but she ignored his help and with a small leap jumped onto the ground.  
Instantly a big dizziness grasped the pit of her stomach, turning her body around. She collapsed on her knees vomiting a large amount of liquid in a single spasm that left her breathless. When she could get her eyes open again, she saw that her subordinate had just experienced the same violent consequences of the fold on his organism. Ichijo struggled to lift up, resting his hands on his thighs, then walked away towards the seashore. When he finally turned back his soaked hair was dripping sea water onto his face and jaw line. At that very moment their eyes met. Lieutenant Hayese realized with dismay that the only living being in the immediate proximity was him.  
But maybe... maybe someone had been left inside the Prometheus.  
-We have to explore the Prometheus.  
she said in the strictest tone she could muster  
\- Lieutenant Ichijo take on your rifle.  
The two were both familiar with the carrier that during the attack was anchored to one of the arms of the Macross. It was quite easy to access the main bridge, it was simply torn off.  
The surreal silence that surrounded them was only tempered by the sound of their breathing and the backwash of the waves splashing on the steel. She had hoped... a meager hope. But what they found below the decks were only horribly charred bodies that had neither the peace of time used to skeletons, nor that of ordinary buried corpses. The suits of the US Navy had melded with the flesh resulting in monstrous plastic man hybrids that were rotting in the cavernous space making the air unbreathable. The Prometheus fleet had been massive but they found only a few hidden corpses. A few minutes passed, and then Lieutenant Hayase was caught in a new bout of nausea and collapsed to the floor, her forehead beaded with sweat.  
-Hayase-tai!  
Ichijo had cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to lift her up. His touch made her flinch.  
\- don't...don't touch me!  
Ichijo frowned in resentment.  
-Wait for me outside Lieutenant, I'll go on checking  
he said dryly.  
She couldn't help but agree.  
Then she sat down on the sand, her flight suit boots lapped by the murky water back and forth. The big star on the skyline that burned like fire then was the sun.  
An orangey light, much like a lava flow, covered the whole horizon, glowing on the young officer's face.  
Ichijo came from the sea, drenched from head to toe. He carried a box in his arms. Their eyes met again, both glaring at each other.  
In her angry lucubration, Lieutenant Misa Hayase could not help but blame that young pilot.  
it's all his fault... It's his guilt. Minmay-san is dead, Commander Fokker is dead...for what? All for a stupid, stupid game... and now...  
She squeezed her eyelids tightly, as she felt tears overflowing and didn't want him to see her cry. When she opened them back up, Ichijo could see Lieutenant Hayase's green eyes flash with hatred.  
-I found some canned goods, ma'am... They should not be expired...  
he took a few steps and showed them to her but Misa Hayase dignifiedly turned her face ignoring him.  
He drained the entire contents of the box on the ground right between her legs.  
-As you wish Lieutenant!  
he took a few steps and moved away towards the Valkyrie.  
Misa was seized by a state of panic and rage, all the scarce forces flowing in her body canalized. As if hit by an electric discharge, she jumped up, clenching her fists.  
-How dare you!  
she screamed at Ichijo's back.  
-How dare you talk your superior officer like that!  
Ichijo took a few more steps then stopped. She could see his shoulders trembling.  
then he turned back: on his face he wore that arrogant grin that had pissed her off several times on Macross.  
-I don't think I have to obey you anymore, Lieutenant Hayase. This is not Macross, and your rank is worth nothing  
he said with scorn.  
His words affected Misa with the violence of a slap.  
how could he even say such a thing... how did he dare to use such words to her? he... he had always been an arrogant, disobeying... ignorant of discipline and rules he... he just shouldn't be in the army!  
Misa took a few steps towards him, her boots sinking into the sand: her fists were so tight that her knuckles whitened.  
-You!  
she yelled out of her mind  
-You! how you dare! you! you caused all this!  
Tears soon rose up Misa's throat and she choked, but she didn't stop screaming  
-You're the one who stole a valkyrie for your own personal use! you took Minmay-san into space! it's because of you that the enemy captured us and now Minmay is...  
Ichijo suddenly blanched and Misa could clearly see his eyelids fluttering.  
She pointed a finger at him  
-it's your fault!  
At the mention of Minmay, Ichijo's heart stopped.  
He hadn't stopped for a single moment to relive that time when the giants had divided them.  
Minmay had thrown herself on the huge glass, pounding her fists and crying.  
-Hikaru! Hikaru, help me!  
Her voice echoed clearly in his mind and was overlaid by that of his senior officer.  
Hayase-tai was right. It was all his fault. and now Minmay was...dead. So was Roy.  
-You don't deserve being a soldier!  
As if she had drained all her energies Misa fell again onto the sand: she raised her hands to her face, then the sun started to set and the night descended upon them like a heavy blanket. Misa gasped at feeling the darkness closing over. In an few instant Ichijo's body had become just a shape in front of her.  
-You know what Lieutenant? You're right! I should never have taken Minmay out of Macross! I should have never...  
his voice was cracking too. Misa heard his footsteps walk away, and she got scared.  
-Ichijo!  
She clearly heard his footsteps moving away. He had left her there on the beach... the weight of this immense loneliness overwhelmed her. She felt as if she was vanishing.  
-Ichijo!  
Soon a light flashed a few feet ahead. It was the valkirye's side lights. Ichijo was there. Suddenly she started running towards the light as if it was her last salvation.  
When she was under the mecha's heavy arms she could see him pulling the sleeping bags out of the cockpit and throwing them on the floor.  
The nylon lining with the UN spacy logo sparkled in the artificial light. Misa lifted her gaze and saw Ichijo's still damp hair popping out of the cockpit.  
-I... Lieutenant Hayase. .. This are the sleeping bags. I'm going far away to... to sleep. You just stay here at the Valkyrie.  
Misa's heart froze for a moment and she couldn't tell what she felt was fear or pain. Their eyes met, this time free from the previuos anger.  
Hikaru was a man and he could hold back tears. That's what he told himself in his mind . But since he had experienced the intensity of that woman's hate, just a short time before, he could feel his confidence fail.  
He was trapped in that nightmare with the person who hated him the most. She blamed him for everything, and she was right. Maybe she wished it had been him that had died and not Roy.  
Ichijo's eyes were like two mirrors. All his pain poured out of them.  
Misa shuddered with shame and regret.  
He's so young... she thought  
-Ichijo... I...  
She could not bring herself to speak as words refused to come out.  
He turned his gaze away and jumped out of the cockpit. Soon was in front of her.  
-Sleeping bags are insulated. They adjust to both body temperature and outside temperature. They enable you to keep warm even below 5 degrees...  
he said casually as if reading the jet fighter maintenance manual.  
He picked up his bag and walked off into the night. The pefect shape of his shoulders, his unruly hair still damp, all got swallowed by darkness.  
Misa raised both hands to her mouth, feeling her last remaining strength leave her. A loneliness she had never experienced before gripped her like a vice. She fell on her knees sobbing silently. She didn't even know where he was, but she hated the feeling of him hearing her cry.  
Hikaru had squatted not so far away, under a sand dune. He lurked under the pillowy folds of his sleeping bag. The silence was broken only by the waves crashing on the beach and Lieutenant Hayase's crying.  
He felt his chest aching in a way he had never experienced before.  
Dawn came surprisingly fast. For Misa who hadn't slept and for Hikaru who had quickly drifted off into nightmare filled sleep. He dreamed again and again of Roy Fokker's battloid being riddled by the enemy zentradi on that ship. The sound of exploding scrap metal was so realistic that it made him grit his teeth and clench his nails in his palms.  
He awoke in a state of edge tension.  
The sunlight was a sick shade, as if filtering through layers and layers of fog and soot. Everything was wrapped in a veil. Lieutenant Ichijo lifted with a struggle, looking around to spot the valkyrie. He saw her stranded like a huge insect on his just left. Under the fighter's arms a sleeping bag was unzipped but there was no sign of his senior, Lieutenant Hayase.  
She had been up all night, considering every possible way to take advantage of the disastrous situation that had caught them. First of all it was required to look for survivors on planet earth, both military and civilian... the valkyrie, despite being a trainer model, had all terrestrial and aerial tracking devices  
And if Ichijo would refuse to escort her on the mission, well she would have gone alone. She wasn't a combat pilot but she knew how to maneuver the fighter... but that would mean leaving him there...  
How could she abandon one of her subordinates... She would pass through military court for that. But he had made it very clear that he no longer intended to obey her orders in that situation. He had said it.  
He would be punished too, or downgraded... yeah, but there probably would have been no court anymore in that ruined earth, and as for Macross...  
Misa raised her hands to her head and pulled her long hair sobbing in frustration. So she spent all night racking her brain for a solution.  
At the first hints of light she quietly slipped out of her bag, shivering from the chill. She soon realized that Ichijo was lying only a few steps away, under a dune. She had quietly approached him, spying his restless sleep and was surprised to see his face drenched in sweat, the look of someone sinking into a bad nightmare.  
Then Misa lifted her thin fingers, trembling. Carefully ran her fingertips over his forehead, stroking his dark hair. She shuddered at the touch of that portion of skin and at the smoothness of his hair.  
She realized with dismay that it had been years since she touched another human being like this. Misa threw back her hands pressing palms together:  
Why did she do that? Why was she stroking that man's forehead?  
Scared, she walked away from him, trying to make it clear in her heart. She couldn't leave Ichijo on that beach. Yes, they would be going together wherever it was necessary. She wondered if he would be okay with it.  
-Lieutenant Hayase!  
Ichijo's voice echoed loudly, shrillly.  
-Ichijo-kun...  
Her voice, on contrast, was quiet, almost shy. The top of her head slowly emerged from the cockpit,  
Then she popped up to her waist, letting one arm hang out in a relaxed pose, so unexpected in her.  
Ichijo looked at her in surprise.  
-Under the seats I found two water tanks. We can to warm it up and drink it... like...  
Misa squeezed her eyes, trying to utter the final words  
-As if it was... tea  
Ichijo's eyes widened slightly at her truce flag. It was a peace offering coming from her and Hikaru wasted no time in deciphering it.  
-Uh... yes... let's do it, I mean... aye ma'am, I'll light the fire!  
Hikaru looked at her sidelong, and couldn't hold back a small grin of relief.  
Misa, unintentionally, smiled shyly, as well. It was the first time he saw her smile.  
Ichijo climbed into the cockpit, removed the cover for the gauges, suspended it like a bowl over the fire and poured water on it. They both sat down on the sand facing the fire.  
When the water was hot Hikaru took one of his gloves from his flight suit and picked up the homemade kettle. Instantly Misa followed him by taking one of her gloves from her pocket. Hikaru handed the water to Misa to let her drink first. Heat flowed down her to her throat and into her stomach. Her numbed and tired body suddenly awakened.  
-Ichijo  
she said in her professional tone of voice that he knew so well  
-I... want to explore the planet. At least a part of what we can, I...  
she forced herself to look into his eyes, and she felt him watching her deeply.  
-Ichijo, I need to know if there are any survivors on the Earth's surface, it is my duty and...  
she paused  
-to do that, I don't need your cooperation...  
She saw his brow wrinkling with disappointment  
\- It is not mandatory that you come with me... but... however I...  
Misa's voice cracked  
-I.. I 'm asking you to come with me on this mission.  
No longer able to hold his gaze, Misa let her eyes wander over the sea, the waves were slowly lapping the shore, silence between them seemed to last ages  
-Yes... Lieutenant Hayase, I am coming with you.  
Ichijo's voice did not waver, then he...  
Misa brought her gaze back to her subordinate's sapphire eyes that sparkled with resolution.  
She breathed in relief.  
-Thank you... Ichijo-kun.  
I'm not alone...

**to be continued**


	2. Chapter 2

  
**EARTH WANDERERS**   
**A Hikaru and Misa story**   
**chapter 2**

  
-The UN base in Alaska was buried in lava... in the past days we haven't found a single survivor anywhere! so where shall we go next Lieutenant Hayase? London? Paris? or maybe New York? I'm wainting for your orders, Hayase-tai*!  
Hikaru Ichijo threw all his anger at his superior officer, but he didn't mean to blame her. He only still blamed himself. He clenched his nails in his palms in utter frustration when a desperate cry made him wince  
-Stop! Please stop!  
Lieutenant Hayase had leaned against a rock, back to him. Her shoulders were shaking: she no longer had the strength to hide her tears.  
The land was ravaged.  
Once, at that latitude, ice and snow would have covered everything but now before their eyes there was a volcanic, spectral scenery. Charred wreckage was still smoking releasing gasses towards the sky. Heavy radioactive clouds were lapping the ground. Of all the places they had visited, Base Alaska seemed to have been the most affected by the Zentraedi attack.  
Suddenly Ichijo remembered that his commander was the daughter of Supreme Admiral Takashi Hayase... and that at very moment, she was probably realizing the terrible death his father had incurred. Ichijo both felt shame and sorrow. She was still crying, defeated, her shoulders trembling.  
He took a few steps closer. That hideous orange light still haunted them: the rays of that ominous sun, ruthlessly fell on Lieutenant Hayase's hair, making it look as burning flames.  
Long, fine, disheveled hair fell over her neck and face.  
-Hayase-tai. Let's go away.  
He said softening his voice.  
She didn't answer.  
-Let's go away. Please.  
Misa reluctantly lifted her gaze and saw that Ichijo was offering her his right hand. This time she didn't reject it. He squeezed her slender fingers tightly inside his palm, as if to encourage her.  
They boarded the valkyrie again.  
-Lieutenant Hayase! Down there! Look!  
Misa opened her eyes wide, bending her head to the right side and resting her hands on the glass in wonder.  
Green... a green spot stood out on the stormy sea just below them. a mirage, an oasis, maybe a vision.  
The navigation map displayed a location roughly corresponding to the South Pacific islets, but that island was not on the geopolitical map. Misa checked several times on the small screen on the fighter. Ironically, the device did still detected the island of South Atalia, which had been wiped out on the attack day and brought into Pluto's orbit together with the Macross.  
Misa asked herself if Ichijo was thinking about that day.  
But he turned to her with a wide smile.  
-Commander Hayase, I think we should go down and take a look.  
His eyes sparkled and Misa nodded slightly.  
-Permission granted Lieutenant Ichijo, we can land on this island!  
As the valkyrie performed the landfall maneuver, gently drifting over the sand in gerwalk mode, the two young officers couldn't hide their amazement .  
They literally threw themselves out of the cockpit with an excitement they hadn't felt in a long time.  
The beach was white and pebbly, and the sea... it still had a blue glow.  
Then they suddenly saw some wooden buildings standing out on the opposite side of the shore and dozens and dozens of trees with dark green foliage that rose towards the sky.  
Ichijo started jumping around as if dancing, raising a dust cloud all around him.  
-Hayase tai! Look at those houses! There's sure to be someone there! We can finally eat!  
Misa smiled incredulously, bringing her hands together in front of her chest. After eating the meager supply of protein bars provided for the training fighter, they had been starving for almost two days straight.  
Suddenly the pangs of hunger attacked Misa's body.  
Her trained brain would tell her that they would have to carefully analyze that area - also in view of the fact that it didn't appear on geopolitical maps and for some mysterious reason, officially, that island didn't exist- but... her system ordered her only one thing: get food!  
She followed Ichijo down to the houses, both removing the safety catch from the rifle hanging from their belt. The silence was complete, and it should have made them suspicious. But, once again, the pangs of hunger overcame all other worries.  
The houses were a long way from the beach and the two young officers approached panting.  
Ichijo breathed heavily, resting his hands on his knees.  
Misa let herself drop down, her back against a tree.  
They had finally arrived.  
The dwellings were primitive. The houses were basically stilts that rose one meter above the ground with a system of bare foundations. The walls were made of wood and mud and the roofs were thatched. Some had a small porch of a couple of feet. The whole complex of houses was connected by a rudimentary system of lighting. Small bulbs hung around the buildings on battered wires. No human presence could be felt.  
Misa's voice rang out loud so clearly that a flock of birds flew away in a big flapping of wings.  
-I am First Lieutenant Hayase Misa of UN Spacy, is anyone there? We come in peace!  
Anyone there? If someone hears me, please answer! We come in peace!  
Hikaru looked at her, holding his breath.  
Only an unreal silence answered her call.  
-Looks abandoned...  
He murmured  
Misa nodded.  
-I see.  
Cautiously they both decided to enter a kind of elongated shed, with no walls, four pillars sustaining the wooden roof.  
Inside it was cool and damp. A strong scent of wet wood attacked their nostrils.  
-Look, Commander Hayase!  
Ichijo carefully picked up a finely carved wooden stick from a bunch leaning against the wall.  
-They look like artifacts...  
Misa looked at it intently. She ran her thin finger over the beautifully decorated sculpted surface.  
-I wonder what they are meant for... could they be weapons?  
Hikaru looked around once more  
-It's all very interesting but I don't see any food here, let's go away!  
Misa got pissed at that guy's lack of discipline for the nth time.  
-Lieutenant Ichijo!  
She said petulantly  
-This time I won't listen to you Hayase-tai... out there I saw some trees. There must be some dangling fruit just waiting to be picked, so...  
With a cheeky grin he opened his arms wide before turning around and rushing out of the cabin with a leap.  
Misa bit her lip as she gazed at his moving shape.  
-I guess you're right...  
For a second she stood waiting in the dimness. But the daylight and the scent of the trees had made her drunk. A strange buzz took over her.  
-Ichijo wait!  
She started to run.  
The fruits were somewhat tropical. A kind of fragrant mango, coconut filled with liquid, almond-like berries with green, crisp flesh.  
Ichijo started to cut everything with his camp knife, with a surgical precision . They had sat down briskly on the sand with their legs crossed. Both were dirty and messy. Ichijo's hair, unruly by nature, seemed to have taken the paths of vertical elevation and was spread all around his head like a mane. He had undone his space suit down to his waist and tied both sleeves around his hips and had pulled the sleeves of his black shirt up above his elbows.  
Sweet coconut milk dripped from the corners of his mouth, through his jaw, down to the back of his neck. Misa stared at him in wonder as he desperately swallowed the shiny water and crunched the fruit bark.  
She had loosened the stiff collar of her uniform a little, too, and had tried to discipline her hair by tying it into a heavy braid that fell down her back, leaving her slender neck exposed. Her skin was white, almost transparent. She popped the sweet flesh of the mango into her mouth, savoring the freshness of the juice, then, never stopping chewing, added three nuts one by one, chomping vigorously on the crunchy fruit. Her cheeks swelled up like those of a little rodent. Suddenly she felt Ichijo's eyes resting on her face and defensively put a hand in front of her mouth. She blushed, averting his gaze.  
Looks like a little girl caught eating cake on the sly...  
Although he had once believed Lieutenant Hayase to be an annoying old bag, he no longer looked at her that way.  
Flustered by that realization, Ichijo stopped chewing.  
Oba-san** is what he had called her when they first met, and he had kept on referring to her that way afterwards... when he complained about her to his subordinates and made fun of her to both them and his sempai Roy Fokker. He had even told Minmay... I hate that woman, Lieutenant Hayase. She's an old hag!  
-What are you staring at?  
Misa looked at him with her icy green gaze that he knew so well, as well as her cold voice, and Hikaru instantly came back down to earth.  
-No, I...  
He mumbled  
Somewhere in his head he had thought for a moment that she was pretty.  
It must be the excess of sugar that made my blood pressure jump...  
Then he blushed and avoided her gaze.  
-It's... it's... nothing Lieutenant.  
The hut complex had definitely been inhabited... with prudence, the two officers tried to force the doors of the dwellings but were surprised to discover that they were not locked.  
The doors were simply being pushed. To their own surprise, they came upon totally empty rooms... Not a piece of furniture, a semblance of tools or linens and clothes.  
There were no beds, closets, no fireside for cooking. The rooms were completely vacant as if the entire village had been meticulously evacuated.  
-The electricity system, although rudimentary seems to have been in operation till recently.  
Ichijo was reviewing the electrical wires that ran among the piles and reconnected to a sort of tool shed at the end of the road.  
Misa approached him to note how the wires were being cut with a blade.  
-Seems as the escape of the inhabitants was planned...  
Misa looked at him thoughtfully, a deep line appearing across her brow.  
-I wonder why... since it looks like the entire island has been spared by the enemy.  
Hikaru toyed with a wire, running it through his fingers.  
-The island does not appear on the tracking scanners ... I mean, probably the Zentraedi ships didn't detect it and it avoided the bombings?  
Misa looked at him  
-You're right ... it must have been so, but ...  
Her eyes started roaming the matte sky.  
-It's so ironic... the people on this island would have survived... So why there is no one here?  
Ichijo didn't know what to say  
Misa stood up and took a few steps towards the door.  
-I want to check the water conduit... even if it's primitive, there must be a water well here, we'll get some water for ourselves and...  
-Come with you, Lieutenant Hayase  
-Not necessary.  
She cut it off  
He frowned  
-Keep checking the dwellings, Ichijo!  
Misa had walked over and already turned her back on him.  
-Lieutenant Hayase!  
-What!?  
She said annoyed  
-Please be careful. Well... if anything happen, just give a yell and I'll come right away!  
Misa's face softened, against her own will. Full of awkwardness she turned and looked at him, he was only a few steps away from her.  
His torso covered only by the thin black shirt of UN spacy was perfectly formed. His muscular arms exposed from the biceps onwards showed bundles of muscles and veins. His hands were large, long, and even wide; his fingers were square. Suddenly Misa realized that Ichijo was a man. Until now she had thought of him as an inexperienced junior, but in front of her eyes, he seemed to have grown from a boy to a reliable man. Misa was a bit flustered. Hikaru Ichijo was definitely an adult, his skin had the scent of a man. A little bewildered, she nodded.  
-I will.  
Hikaru Ichijo is a man, and I, Misa Hayase, am a woman. And we are on an uninhabited island.  
The young officer almost rushed into the middle of the trees. She wanted to get away from that feeling. Lieutenant Ichijo returned to the wooden dwellings. The same questions from just a short time before replayed in his mind. It seemed that this island had been evacuated in a hurry. The entire village still held a recent human presence. He wondered why the island didn't appear on the United Earth Government's maps. Did the site have a name? Perhaps it was a fort under the aegis of the Anti-Unification forces? A sort of bunker in the middle of Pacific? Yet there was no sign of weapons, or military activity. Not a single clue that could allow to make a hypothesis. In the end the zentraedis have spared this place.  
...The air is almost clear and there is definitely some wildlife... on the shores I did see some fish...  
an unexpected thought crossed his mind  
Lieutenant Hayase and I...we could live here...  
He shook his head in terror. That thought scared him to death and at the same time turned him on. He squeezed his eyes shut and entered another dwelling. On the small porch he could see a nail driven into the wall with a scrap of fabric hanging down...  
Ichijo took it between his fingers, it was a rough piece of fabric, as if it were hand-woven.  
-Maybe a curtain...  
He walked into the half-light of the room. As deserted as the others. Darker splotches suggested the recent presence of furniture on the floor. But there was nothing there, just different shades of was about to leave the house when a glow caught his attention. It came from the far edge of the opposite wall, down near floor level.  
Lieutenant Hikaru Ichijo cautiously approached, crouching down with his hands on his knees.  
From a small nail in the wall hung a very thin fishing line with two small transparent glass spheres on it. Ichijo carefully pulled his finger under the line and pulled it out of the nail. It was like a small necklace. The marbles looked like cheap, a simply a trinket of no value. Ichijo rocked the fishing line between his fingers, the sunbeams shone through the spheres, making them sparkle.  
He was caught up thinking about the little gold necklaces around Minmay's neck, her bracelets and the little rings that sparkled in her ears. Everything about her was classy and refined. And no doubt, her beauty overshadowed all the blings.  
A bitter grimace appeared on Hikaru's lips.  
I've never seen Lieutenant Hayase with any jewelry, maybe... maybe I could just give her that little necklace ... After all, even if she's scarier than a demon, the commander is a girl too...  
Unable to collect the thread of his thoughts, Hikaru put the spheres in his pocket and made to get up but something more caught his attention. He leaned down again and approached carefully his face to the wall.  
Just above that planted nail was something like an inscription... like a carving on wood. He ran his fingertips over the scratched wall, then began to read:  
February 9 2008  
Mao Nome - age 13- was here!  
Hikaru gasped  
February 9, 2008... February 9... exactly one year before the attack... maybe the island was evacuated on February 9, 2008?  
February 9, 2009... the day when Macross was preparing for its inauguration trip in space, the earth was attacked by the Zentraedi. Hikaru got to his feet and ran out of the house. He definitely had to show that handwriting to Lieutenant Hayase. And... who was that 13-year-old girl who had left a sign of her existence on that room? The spheres were soon forgotten... suddenly Hikaru Ichijo felt as he was walking into some adventurous territory.  
In the meantime, Misa had kept walking as if to escape her thoughts...  
-Be careful! If anything happens, just yell and I'll come right away  
Ichijo's words made her flush with pleasure.  
Was he really caring about her? A world with just the two of them. A life just for the two of them. ... what was she thinking? it was insane...  
To her realizing Hikaru's kindness, well it had been nice. Because she didn't expect any words of consideration from him, she was happy.  
Somehow, we have to get through this...  
Recklessly, she had begun to walk faster, she headed for the side of a cliff and then climbed on the rocks: she heard something similar to the sound of the waves. After walking over and around many large boulders, she found the source of the sound and her eyes opened wide. A waterfall! Halfway up a slightly higher perch, a stream of pure water spilled over. She had been looking for a well but this was far more than she could have expected! There was a pool at the end of the waterfall. Pure, clear water. Misa's heart leapt...She hadn't been able to have a bath since Ichijo had taken Minmay out on that space trip, daysago. Misa laughed joyfully, she figured she would wash her body and hair.  
The waterfall roared incessantly as it flowed, the face of the pond glittered. Finally, she decided to enter the pool. She carefully unzipped her uniform suit, letting it slip down to her ankles. With a snap, she freed herself from the boots that were trapping her feet. Soon she was left with only the standard military black underwear. It was the only one she owned and the thought sickened her. She thought she might as well wash her clothes. Still, she decided to strip completely. Her mind was weightless.  
-Think about it later  
The white skin of her naked body glistened in the green surrounding the waterfall as she silently entered the pool. The water was pleasantly chill... her skin tightened in the cold and in a row Misa Hayase submerged herself.  
Whe she opened her eyes while underwater she saw her long hair floating up through the surface like seaweed. She leaned back and floated on the water. She could see the sun through the foliage of the trees. The feeling was heavenly.  
And then she heard a noise, like wood creaking.  
Instinctively Misa jumped up straight, hiding her breasts in her arms as much as she could. A sense of dread, as if all the blood were being drained from her veins, enveloped her.  
-Ahhh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!  
She was like paralyzed. Standing on a nearby boulder was Hikaru, staring at her naked body.  
She gasped and, with a huge splash, fled back into the water.  
Misa screamed with rage, mixed with fear and bewilderment. She raised his face in panic and, coughing and stuttering, finally she caught his breath and yelled  
-Go! Get out of here!  
-You don't have to tell me! I'm leaving!  
-Get out of my sight!  
Misa was crying hysterically.  
-I dont want to see you again! Never!  
They both had turned backs to each other, but neither had moved.  
Hikaru was shocked. He was so excited about his own discovery in the house that he hadn't been able to wait for his superior officer to return, and had set out to find her. When he came to the waterfall, he was first attracted by its power: he had just been watching the crystal-clear water as it foamed and splashed its way into a large natural pool, similar to a small lake.  
But then he had seen her. An astounding sight.  
Lieutenant Hayase. Lieutenant Hayase was floating completely naked on the surface of the water. Her whole body was exposed, her arms wide open with palms facing downwards as if caressing the surface of the water, her very long hair floating all around her face and lapping her white shoulders, and under her shoulders...  
-Oh my god  
Commander Hayase's breasts were two perfect spheres that gloriously surfaced the dark water... her pale, pink nipples emerged erect and wet from that white promontories. Hikaru's eyes widened so much that he thought they were popping out of their sockets. The curve of her flat stomach was a valley that led directly to that secret place. Her legs were slightly parted so he could clearly see her... her...  
Hikaru stumbled on himself and in an attempt to keep his balance he stepped on a big trunk: the wood cracked so hard... Lieutenant Hayase heard it and now...  
Misa couldn't believe what had just happened.  
That damn pervert! He saw me! He must have seen me! What can I do now?  
Misa quickly thought of a way to end the whole thing in bloody blood. She was going to kill him!  
What a horrible person. Hikaru Ichijo. He's an animal. He followed me! He must have. He is disgusting. And he's a voyeur. He watched me take a bath! I'm sure of it. This was his whole plan all the time. He was there the whole time? Watching me undressing!? I'm sure he was. I can't forgive him. I'll kill him. Definitely. I'll kill him!  
Hikaru called her  
-Wait, just listen! This is just a misunderstanding!  
-Yeah, yeah, you're great at making excuses!  
-It's the truth! I found something at the village and I wanted to show you! I had no idea you were going to take a bath in your birthing suit!  
Bathing in a birthing suit?  
How dare he use that vulgar term with a lady!  
Misa was furious, but then in the very same moment, she began to shiver with awkwardness.  
-You have it all wrong. I didn't come here to see you!  
-Please don't describe all the highlights of your "observation session". Just shut up!  
\- The thought of doing something as awkward as coming here to spy on you is not something I would have even thought of!... I mean who would want to see you naked except by accident, Lieutenant Hayase!?  
Misa let out a scream  
-Ichijo go away!  
Then she submerged herself completely again in the water making little bubbles gurgling on the surface.  
Hikaru quickly returned to the valkyrie, he had seen Lieutenant Hayase naked for just a second, anyway. He recalled the parts of her body one by one. They came into his head and he frantically tried to push them out, Until now, he had thought of Lieutenant Hayase as a woman, but he had never thought of her as a body owner. When she'd come back, what would be the best way to greet her?  
Hikaru was sure she would be angry... but she was the one who had made this all so awkward! What was she thinking, going skinny-dipping?  
Her breast is perfect... and her skin is so white... who would have said that?  
NO!  
I don't have to think about that... I must not!  
Right at that moment Misa showed up in front of the valkyrie with the firm purpose of completely ignoring Lieutenant Ichijo.  
She had quickly got dressed without even wiping and her shirt was completely soaked. The thin black fabric was clinging to Misa's slim bust like a vinyl coat. When he heard her footsteps, he turned back: they stood face to face for a few moments, then Ichijo's gaze immediately focused on his superior's chest, where small erect nipples were desperately pushing against the fabric.  
Oh my god...  
Hikaru instantly turned his head away  
Misa folded her arms on her chest, flushing.  
-Ehr, uh...Lieutenant Hayase you know...  
Hikaru tried to calm down his breathing...  
-So... I was thinking..  
-Unbelievable, you can think!  
said Misa nervously.  
He is watching me, I saw him! He's a creep! Oh, I was such a stupid to do something like that!  
Misa shuddered. All of a sudden she didn't think Ichijo was a trustworthy person anymore.  
A sly smirk showed up on Hikaru's face  
-Sometimes I can do it Lieutenant... well I was thinking...  
Misa turned angry  
-So what! Do you want to speak or not?!  
Her green eyes twinkled with anger...  
Her face was exactly as furious as on the comm during a mission.  
Hikaru sighed  
-Lieutenant Hayase, I thought we could use the parachute fabric to make a change of clothes, don't you think? I couldn't find a single piece of textile in the village and ...well, if you decide to take a dive again...you can do it in a swimsuit!  
Misa crossed her arms tighter.  
-You must be crazy. I won't let you dismantle the valkyrie's parachute to play cut and sew! Does that sound like a soldier behavior?  
Hikaru frowned.  
-Oh, that's what you say for anything! For a soldier, this is disgraceful behavior! Give it a rest!  
-But it is so. Don't you see that!?  
-Hey listen to your words! Wouldn't a true soldier do anything possible to survive, no matter the situation?  
-Exactly. Then you don't understand that destroying a parachute is a ridiculous act?  
-No!  
Hikaru insisted  
-It is written in tons of military manuals. They talk about ways to deal with the situation if you find yourself in difficult circumstances in the middle of a ground battle. This is an appropriate action to take! ... c'mon, it's huge, we're gonna use just a piece of it!  
Hikaru grinned, then began to cut off part of the parachute.  
Misa grunted, deep down realizing that Ichijo was right. Besides, they could have washed their dirty uniforms while wearing the parachute fabric.  
-Gimme that!  
She snatched the cloth from his hand, it was a large portion. Without softening her expression, she moved closer to Hikaru, opened her arms wide and stretched the stuff from one of his shoulder to the other, then looked at him squeezing her eyes shut.  
-I'll handle this!You can gather something for dinner. Lieutenant Ichijo! You're dismissed!  
Hikaru opened his eyes wide, in that hysterical way- so congenial to her- she had basically agreed with him.  
He smiled with contentment as he walked away with his hands in his pockets.  
This time I won you old lady!  
At the touch of the small pearls he remembered his intention to give them to his senior officer.  
I can't give it now...she will definitely think I want to hit on her... surely... because now she knows that I know she has a great body.  
Hikaru blushed, remembering the scene at the waterfall.  
No way! I'll give her the present next time...maybe...  
When Hikaru came back, arms full of fruit, he saw Misa aggressively fiddling with the red and white fabric. She was on all fours on the sand, placing dots with the glue gun on the edges of what looked like...a sweatshirt?  
-Hey I was thinking I might try fishing...  
Lieutenant Hayase screamed in a louder and more terrified voice than he ever could have imagined.  
-Oh, sorry! It's me  
he said.  
-Really! Sneaking up on me without saying anything. Why would you ever do that?  
-Were you thinking something scary? I think you should relax lieutenant, all this tightness is going to affect your skin.  
Oh geez...skin... why did I say that? Oh shit now she must be thinking I'm still thinking about her naked bathing.  
Misa stood up in indignation, her eyes ablaze.  
She picked up the handmade sweatshirt from the ground and threw it into Ichijo's face.  
-Ouch!  
He felt the hit  
Misa walked away towards the campfire.  
-Hurry it up! I'm starving!  
Ichijo gazed spellbound at her, as she walked away, leaving a trail of thin sand behind each step. The sunset was already softening the outlines of the empty houses and of the mountains behind.  
Flocks of birds were flying over the sky above him. A feeling of expectation overcame his heart, but Hikaru could not decipher it. He carefully studied the cloth Misa had thrown at him. Amazingly it was in all likeness to a jogging sweatshirt. It was baggy and also quite trimmed. Hmm...could it be for him?  
He was amazed.  
 _She did it for me..._  
He felt completely lost, and buried his face in the fabric. He tried tucking his arm into the sleeve, and it was exactly the right length. The whole thing fit him perfectly. He suddenly felt overwhelmed with awe.  
Lieutenant Hayase didn't do it for herself, she did it for me. Her first impression of me was absolutely awful. And my first impression of her was that she was just terrifying. But everything was so different now.  
She had made that sweater to fit Hikaru perfectly. She had seen his shape so perfectly. It was as if she had measured his height, his weight, the size of his chest... she knew everything. how could she?  
Hikaru smiled, the feeling from before had deepened. He felt a kind of longing. He started to run towards the valkyrie, Misa was sitting down there, waiting for him.  
When he was in front of her he touched the small spheres inside his pocket, then he smiled.  
 _I have a present for you too, Hayase-tai._  
he thought.  
 _I wonder if you'll like it._

  
**to be continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hayase-tai = Commander Hayase
> 
> ** Oba-san= literally "old lady"
> 
> Hi everyone, first of all thank you sooo much for your review,really, it means a lot to me!
> 
> As I already said, for this fic I took some inspiration from the 1984 novelization of the movie DYRL? written by Sukehiro Tomita.
> 
> The desert island setting, including the waterfall nude bathing scene comes from there! Same thing for the clothing Misa made from the valkyrie parachute: sooo it's all absolutely in canon within the Macrossverse, lol.
> 
> And as for the abandoned village clearly I'm referring to the Mayan Island from Macross Zero, and to its heroine Mao Nome (She's gonna be Sheryl's grandmother someday!)
> 
> °All of this is to say that for me its just a big homage/tribute to Macross and its characters and story, no copyright infringement is intentional or intended!°


	3. Chapter 3

**EARTH WANDERERS**   
**A Hikaru and Misa story**   
**chapter 3**

  
Hikaru Ichijo threw a handful of seeds far into the sand. The sun was setting, sinking on the top of the sea. The light spread its glow over the water, swamping the pebbles in the sand, making them look like gems. The two young officers sat silently after the incredible events of that long day. A kind of new intimacy had brought them closer than they were willing to admit.  
-Ichijo...  
-Hayase-tai...  
said both at the same time.  
Their eyes met, their irises mirrored.  
-You first  
said Misa  
Hikaru smiled, a crooked smile.  
-Well.. lieutenant I... while you were bath...  
Suddenly he stopped awkwardly... but soon his voice took on a firmer tinge.  
-While I was exploring the village complex, in a house, in a room I... I found a thing... two things actually.  
His blue eyes lit up with excitement.  
Misa instinctively stretched her upper body in his direction.  
-I... I couldn't wait to find you and show you...  
-What does it mean, Ichijo? Speak up!  
Misa tried to take an authoritative pose, but her voice was excited as well.  
-Did you find a device? A transmitter? A radio? Something we can communicate with...  
Hikaru was lost for a moment: he realized that his findings were very little compared to what they really needed to survive... his face showed a disappointed look  
-No... unfortunately not, Lieutenant Hayase, I...  
He quickly reached into his spacesuit's right pocket and carefully pulled out the thin fishing line.  
-Oh...  
A small sigh escaped Misa's lips.  
Hikaru held out his finger, dangling the small choker, and Misa cupped both hands to receive it.  
When she got it, she flipped it close to her eyes, carefully examining the spheres.  
Hikaru almost held his breath.  
-Looks like... looks like an artifact...  
she murmured  
-Surely it's an ornament...  
-I... I found it hanging on a wall. On a nail.  
Misa was pulled out of her thoughts and drawn to Ichijo's voice.  
-A nail mmmh?  
said a little dazed.  
Then she looked at the small marbles again and smiled, a girlish smile that he didn't know. Her small teeth were perfect. Her pink lips stretched over her gums in a funny little way. Tiny dimples appeared on her cheeks.  
-It's very nice  
Hikaru stared at her in contemplation  
-It's your Lieutenant Hayase...  
Misa flushed and looked down at the sand pebbles. then there was silence. But suddenly she changed her look: Hikaru couldn't believe it.  
-I mean ... I can't appropriate it properly but... yes I'll keep it, until we find someone who can examine it and find out its real use and purpose. Maybe the material is not just plastic as it seems but something specific that was processed only here on the island ...  
He jumped up abruptly, slamming away the sand on his clothes with the palms of his hands.  
-Oh thank you! You really shouldn't ve bothered, Lieutenant Ichijo... Are you serious? It's a pleasure commander!  
he said, mimicking her voice.  
Misa opened her eyes wide. By reflex she got up too  
-What do you mean? It's not a present, you know!  
She slipped the necklace in her pocket  
-Do I have to thank you for not keeping something that isn't yours?  
Hikaru rolled his eyes  
-It always has to be like this with you! Oh, give it a rest!  
He took a few steps away  
Misa got nervous  
-That's the second time you said it today!  
-It might be you deserved it!  
-Lieutenant Ichijo!  
But Hikaru seemed to have lost any interest in the usual bickering started six months before on Macross.  
He turned to her and with his best suspenseful tone said  
-Well, are you ready to see discovery number 2?  
Hikaru had landed the Valkyrie on the small beach near the village, to be close to both sea and forest and have two escape routes.  
When the two young officers entered the village huts, the moon had already risen beyond the mountains. It was a large full moon. The sky was still pale blue on the skyline. Hikaru had brought a flashlight but they could still see clearly. However when they entered that house, darkness surrounded them and Misa's body shuddered a little.  
She instinctively moved close to him with her arms outstretched. Ichijo felt the vibes of her body hovering in the air and being returned to him. It was the energy of Earth.  
He reached out his left arm and brushed against hers, slowly wrapping her palm with his. The skin of their fingertips rubbed gently. Finally, their fingers interlaced. Misa felt the beat on Hikaru's wrist pressed against hers, but she felt her heart beating furiously the louder. She couldn't tell if what she was experiencing was fear or some strange form of expectation.  
-Here.  
Hikaru, never letting go of her hand, gently bent down, pulling her along. Then with a flip of his wrist he turned the flashlight switch. Perched on their heels, they examined the writing engraved on the wall by the local girl.  
Misa sighed  
\- I wonder if she's still alive  
Hikaru looked at her in awe. He hadn't even stopped to think that beneath that name there was a flesh and blood human being, a 13 year old girl whose destiny well... may have been terrible... Commander Hayase had once again surprised him.  
-We have to find out what happened to this island and why it was spared from the attack... we have to, we must find out what happened to all the people living here...  
Misa rose to her feet with a strange look on her face. She let go of Hikaru's hand. All of a sudden she wanted to get away. She took a few steps forward... by now their hands were parted and Hikaru struggled to follow her as she stepped out onto the small path. It was completely dark outside but the moon had covered the entire bay in a silvery light.  
Misa clearly sensed the shape and weight of Hikaru's body behind her. She wondered what they would do, what would eventually happen to them. Were they going to die? No, it wasn't an option to die like that... she had never considered it, but what would be the appropriate way to die? In a battle?  
She shook her head.  
A soldier's duty is to try to stay alive...  
A confusion she had never felt before took over her, yes that day had been incredibly full of different emotions. Her, the cold Commander Hayase, both feared and respected by the pilots, had went through the whole range of emotions... terror, fear, starvation... she had been angry, she had felt ashamed, she had been happy, she had been excited. Yes, just before, while Ichijo had held her hand in his, she felt thrilled: a feeling that seemed so lost...  
Her heartrate had increased to unbearable levels, her legs had shuddered. She turned to him and found him watching her, waiting. Perhaps he was expecting more orders. But Misa shook her head slightly.  
-Let's go back to the Valkyrie.  
They walked along the path making the pebbles creak, silence broken only by their footsteps.  
Misa turned around and start to walk backwards in front of him, arms crossed behind her back.  
-You know Ichijo? I'm kind of dying of sleep.  
-Me too.  
Darkness was thick and neither of them could see the sweet smile that had started growing on the other's face.  
Misa had woken up at the crack of dawn. A light blanket of dew had covered her sleeping bag, making it slightly damp. She caressed the fabric with her hands, feeling her body recover from the long sleep. It was amazing how stupid things like eating and sleeping were so essential.  
We so often forget about that...  
Misa, who was used to the hard and unstable shifts on Macross, hadn't had a full night's sleep in months.  
Nevertheless, her attitude to work compelled her to get out of her sleeping bag and get ready for a new day... in that place. She hadn't told Ichijo but she had already decided that they wouldn't stay on that island for much longer.  
Maybe as early as tomorrow...  
They were supposed to keep exploring the earth. Even if she didn't like that. Those few days on the island had been a blissful rest. But her duty...  
-Duty, duty! You just can't think of anything else!  
an angry Hikaru had said that only a few weeks earlier.  
Misa smiled a little bitterly  
Maybe he's right...  
Then she nimbly climbed up into the valkyrie's cockpit to pick the rest of the parachute fabric. She had decided to make a robe for herself and pants for Hikaru so they could wash their dirty uniforms at the pool.  
But then, she found a small bag. It was a clutch bag branded by a famous stylist on Earth, she didn't even have to guess. That clutch belonged to Miss Minmay. Misa reached out a hand and then held it in mid-air.  
I can't touch it...  
Without realizing what she was doing, Misa unzipped Minmay's pochette. Inside was lipstick, foundation, a perfume, a comb, a hand mirror, a pack of tissues and other items, all well-packed and neatly sorted. There was also her smartphone, obviously dead.  
Misa pulled out the mirror and examined her own reflection.  
She saw an incredibly thin face with no makeup. Misa was young and had always had plump cheeks like the face of someone who had just left childhood, but now they looked drained.  
Really, I look like an old lady!  
Plus her long hair was messy and tangled and Misa, who used to treasure her hair, became sad.  
There is a comb among Minmay's stuff, but... using another woman's toiletries was something only a rude young girl would do.  
Even so, Misa was tempted.  
I'm sure Minmay-san would forgive me. I'm just borrowing her comb, after all. I definitely wouldn't take, for example, her perfume... but ohhh Misa! Why are you being so stubborn? It's just a comb. Think of it as a loan, in exchange for taking care of the clutch bag. When you see her again, both of you safe and sound, you can give her back.  
In the end, Misa decided on a borrowing. She carefully combed every strand of her long auburn hair until she untied every node and the orginal lustre was restored. Misa mirrored herself again and smiled. It was childish and she knew, but she couldn't help it.  
Then she started making clothes out of the parachute fabric, but soon she realized that making pants for Lieutenant Ichijo would be an impossible task to complete.  
All she had was an electric scissor and a glue gun. Misa was mad: she didn't like to throw in the towel, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't arrange the legs with the crotch.  
-Ooh damn!  
She threw the fabric to one side and huffed.  
-I'm sorry Ichijo-kun... you'll have to settle for a skirt.  
The sun was high by the time Hikaru Ichijo opened his eyes, leaving behind a pleasant dream. What he had dreamed was deeply intimate and far away in time. He felt the sensation of skin on his palm as if it were real. He felt caresses on his face and hair, a memory far away in time, in space.  
-Mom.  
Eyes as blue as the sky on a summer day, crystal clear.  
Hikaru blinked a couple of times: he tried with all his strength to recover the shreds of dream that were slipping away in his mind. That feeling of total happiness was leaving him... in an instant he returned to reality.  
Hikaru unzipped his sleeping bag, and with a leap he was on his feet. He rubbed his eyes vigorously and ran both hands through his messy hair.  
-You awake at last!  
Hikaru turned to the source of the voice and was surprised: a small silhouette was approaching. He opened his eyes wide and parted his lips slightly. Commander Hayase was wearing some sort of sleeveless, rather loose, red and white striped robe, and she was walking barefoot. Her bare, pale arms almost glistened in the sunlight. Hikaru couldn't take his eyes off her, stunned at the sight. He was caught by the shape of her knees and ankles and the toes of her feet. All her bones were perfectly aligned under the layer of white skin. Her aubourn hair had been combed down and was reaching down her waist. It was as shiny as silk.  
Carrying a cloth wrap in her arms, she advanced toward him: she looked every bit like a fairy figurine in an old book,a precious, old-fashioned artwork.  
Unable to rid himself from the state of dizziness that the dream and this new version of Commander Hayase had caused him, Hikaru coughed awkwardly.  
-Ehr uh, yes I... yes, I just woke up!  
Misa was standing in front of him and held out the envelope she was carrying in her arms.  
-So, I...I couldn't make you any pants...  
She lowered her head in annoyance  
-Well, I'm not a seamstress! I think a skirt would do just fine, Lieutenant Ichijo!  
Misa tried to give some steadiness to her voice but couldn't, and when she raised her gaze and saw Ichijo looking at the skirt she had made for him, well, she couldn't hold back a laugh.  
Hikaru burst out laughing too, against his will.  
Misa raised both hands to her mouth  
-Oh my god, I can't stop laughing!  
Hikaru scratched the back of his head as he reviewed his garment.  
-Thank god we don't have our tablets or other recording devices or you could blackmail me forever Lieutenant Hayase!  
-By the time we wash our uniforms and wait for them to dry I swear I won't laugh at you!  
Hikaru squinted his eyes sarcastically  
-Okay, I think there's no alternative.  
He stepped away close behind the valkyrie to undo his spacesuit and put on the sweatshirt and skirt that Misa had made for him.  
While he was undressing of all his clothes, including his underwear, he slipped the skirt from his head.  
..Luckily there are no mirrors 'round here... I must look like a total douchebag... easy for her to laugh at me when she looks so damn cute in that stuff!  
Hikaru was once again startled by the flow of his thoughts. When he folded his clothes, a handkerchief slipped from a pocket, dropping on the sand.  
Hikaru didn't need to scoop it up to know what it was.  
He took it with shaky fingers and unfolded it. Inside the inner fold was Minmay's autograph. He had asked for when they had been trapped for three days in an abandoned Macross section after a scramble.  
Who knew that a short time later he would be sharing a kiss with the biggest pop star on the ship? But for him, she was much more than that. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Did he really fall in love with her?  
-Ichijo-kun! you coming?  
Commander Hayase's voice made him wince, and he quickly grabbed his handkerchief and tucked it inside the sleeve of the sweatshirt. Minmay was dead. And he had only himself to blame. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms.  
They reached the waterfall: Misa had noticed the change in Hikaru's mood, he uttered a sound the whole walk. As they settled down by the pool to wash their uniforms she wondered if he had by chance got offended by the skirt or something.  
But then she thought about all the nasty things they had said before to each other: the whole skirt teasing thing was very little in comparison  
-Hey Ichijo-kun  
He raised his eye at her  
-You don't look so ridiculous in a skirt... I mean... even Scottish warriors fought in a skirt in the 13th century...  
Hikaru opened his mouth  
-You mean it's not just a folk costume?  
Misa smiled  
-That's it  
-You sure know a lot of things Lieutenant Hayase!  
-That's not true!  
said Misa waving her hand  
-That's why you graduated with top marks at the top of your class  
Misa looked at him suspiciously  
-How d'you know that?  
-All the pilots do... they say you're some kind of genius and well... that you're scarier than a demon too!  
Hikaru immediately regretted what he had said. Now this could bring on the wrath of the terrible Commander Hayase.  
But she tilted her head as she mirrored herself on the surface of the water.  
-They say that, don't they? I had a few clues. Claudia used to tease me, too. She used to tell me that I was in charge of so many men and then I terrorized them, she said.  
Misa looked shyly at Hikaru, who was playing with a small wooden branch.  
-Told me that I would never find a boyfriend...  
Their gazes collided. The sunlight and the surrounding foliage made Misa's eyes look greener than emerald leaves and Hikaru's as turquoise as the ocean waves.  
-You mean you have no one in Macross?  
-No, no one... I...  
The silence stretched out between them again like a blanket. Misa felt again the sensation of the previous night. The rustling of the waterfall in the background was like a hypnotic rhythm. The energy of Earth had again absorbed them into its cycle.  
-Lieutenant Hayase...have you ever been in love?  
Misa gasped. Her heartbeat increased. She pushed a strand behind her ear, a gesture he already recognized.  
-Yeah, it was a long time ago, he... he was a soldier...  
Hikaru also winced. He had expected absolutely the opposite. He had thought that Lieutenant Hayase had never felt love and had not caused it in anyone. That she was as cold as ice, that she despised feelings, and now, now that he knew it... a burning feeling took hold of his heart. His breathing was heavy. How could he have thought that she could never love? Now that he saw her, so beautiful, it would be completely absurd to the contrary.  
-What... what happened?  
Misa squinted her eyes in acceptance.  
-He was transferred to Sara Base, on Mars...then there was that attack by the Anti-UN forces... the whole crew died... he...  
Misa looked up at Hikaru's face.  
-He died...  
-I'm sorry I... I shouldn't have asked.  
-Oh it doesn't matter. And I'm the one who told you.  
Hikaru threw the stick on the water, it made a leap and started to float.  
-I'm sure you'll find someone.  
-Oh...  
Misa blushed  
-I bet!  
-You shouldn't bet with a woman  
said Misa with embarrassment.  
-If you acted more ladylike, like today... I bet there would be a line of guys asking you out on a date.*  
Misa's eyes widened at the young man's total lack of discipline. But in that very moment she liked his words.  
I mean, it was a compliment. He is trying to be nice  
-I mean it, today you look... fine, Lieutenant Hayase.  
Misa jumped up as if bitten by a sting. Her cheeks were on fire. She didn't know if Ichijo was referring to her outfit or to the way she was acting with him.  
Their relationship seemed to grow closer by the day, by the hour. Was it good? Was it bad? What was she going to do? Put some distance between them? She was the senior, he was her subordinate. But he was also the only living person in a devastated land, and most of all, Misa didn't want him to get away, from her. Not now.  
-Come on let's hang out these uniforms. Then... well, if you want, you can take a bath too Lieutenant Ichijo.  
Hikaru smiled as he pulled his blue uniform out of the water.  
-Only if you promise you won't come peeking while I'm naked!  
Misa stomped her bare feet on the grass, fuming.  
-Lieutenant Ichijo!  
As he had promised, Hikaru went out on the bay, to try to catch some fish. He had placed a wooden stick on a plastic bag and meant to use it as a net. With that and a lot of care he pushed himself through the small waves.  
Misa looked at him: he was wearing only the skirt she had made, so he was naked from the waist up. Misa watched him from a distance, fugaciously. His chest and shoulders had the solid, muscular shape that was clearly visible from his flight suit. Even though Misa knew that all pilots on Macross were required to maintain that physical build, she marveled at the sheer perfection of his chest, of his arms. As if everything was new, and she was seeing him afresh all over again. Misa shook her head as she forced herself to stop looking. She turned her back completely and busied herself with feeding the embers into their small campfire.  
As she bent over the flames, the small necklace Hikaru had given her, slowly dangled on her neck: the glows of fire ran through the small pearls flooding with burning light. Misa smiled.  
-I don't think they're poisonous, but just to be sure, I threw back the ones that looked specially ugly!  
Misa gasped  
-Ichijo-kun! Could you please avoid giving me a heart attack once a day?  
-Ahhh sorry Ma'am!  
he said, handing her four fish impaled on a wooden stick.  
-Take a look.  
Misa turned fully towards him to grab the fish but faced his half-naked subordinate completely wet: droplets of salt water dripped from his long hair on his forehead to his chin, and then on his broad chest and his perfectly formed abdomen. From the vantage point she was, sitting on the sand, Misa could see the stark beauty of his body: it was the body of a fighter. As if life itself burst forth within him, Ichijo was the essence of youth.  
Misa cant' help but blushing vigorously. She felt her ears burning.  
Oh, what's wrong with me?  
She stood up and walked away from the campfire. She held out her hand to Ichijo and took the fish stick, unable to meet his eyes.  
-Go dry off lieutenant, I'll take care of the...  
Hikaru was back a short while later, dressed in his sweatshirt. The sun burned pleasantly in that latitude and the young lieutenant's face was tanned.  
-So what do you think?  
-I'm not very good at cooking...  
-I know. We won't be eating haute cuisine anytime soon. I've accepted it.  
Misa frowned  
-Wait... what is that supposed to mean?  
-I didn't mean anything, really...  
\- Look mister, when I said I'm not good at cooking, I meant without the right ingredients!  
-Yeah, but I didn't expect anything...  
-You say that, but you implied that it's a given that I can't cook! Well I'll give you a disappointment Lieutenant Ichijo. I can cook really damn well!  
Misa was furious, but with herself. Because she had looked at Ichijo's body. She couldn't believe it. What was going on with her?  
Hikaru was resigned and rolled his eyes.  
-Lieutenant Hayase...I didn't mean that!  
-It doesent matter. Thanks for your hard work, now I will try to grill the fish.  
Hikaru saw Misa's face getting redder by the moment. He looked at her puzzled  
Its the fire that makes her skin blush? Or maybe its the sun beams. Her skin is so white, she'll end up sunburned...  
Misa felt his gaze on her face: she turned furiously towards him, her green eyes flashing.  
-What are you looking at!? Have you never seen a fish grilling on a campfire?  
-Hey Lieutenant Hayase calm down! Are you worried about the outcome of your recipe?  
Misa took a deep breath, she was being hysterical. She took another breath, then tried to keep a friendly tone of voice  
-No, it's just that...if only we had table salt and some lemon...I'm sure it would be much tastier  
Hikaru snapped his fingers.  
-Let's put a bit of juice onto them  
He ran below the Valkyrie where they had buried, in the shade under the sand, some mango-like fruit.  
When he got back, the fish was cooked. Misa arranged the four fish on a large yellow-veined leave, then they both sat down with their legs crossed... Hikaru squeezed one of the fruits over the fish. Misa looked at him impatiently  
-First you Lieutenant  
-Merci  
said Misa  
-Bon appetit!  
The white, pulpy flesh was easily pulled away from the plug. She cautiously put a slice in her mouth, and Hikaru followed.  
-Mm, he murmured. It's really good!  
-Yeah, it is good!  
She involuntarily smiled wide. Somehow, it turned out great and she felt content with herself.  
As they ate they talked about the mission. Hikaru knew that they would soon have to leave the island, but he hoped that this time would be delayed as much as possible.  
-We are in the Pacific, supposedly near the coasts of Japan and Korea  
Misa said thoughtfully.  
-I know it's crazy but what if we could find some survivors at the underground base in New Tokyo?  
Misa looked firmly into Hikaru's eyes as if to find that confidence she needed. He returned his gaze to her  
-We'll try at least  
she said in a whisper  
-Yes Lieutenant Hayase, we'll try.  
The next morning, Hikaru and Misa boarded the Valkyrie and took off into the sky. The calm ocean water was tinged pink by the bright sun. The sky was filled with clouds, drifting in silence. The throb of the Valkyrie's engine echoed through the fighter quickly crossed the cliff face. Misa could see the waterfall where they bathed. She saw the silent, fine, white beach stretching below her and silently said goodbye.  
Hikaru had nicknamed the pool area Lonely Crying Waterfall, while Misa called the buildings Mao's Village. These were names they hoped to bring back in a report of their own, once they were reunited with the Macross crew and Captain Global. These were names created by the two of them, and that only the two of them knew. In those few days on the island, their bond had become stronger than ever.  
Stronger than anything I have now. Actually I have nothing left.  
Misa's heart ached. She thought of her friends on Macross and to her colleagues, all of them so far away. She missed them so much.  
The islands of the japanese archipelago were, as could be expected, completely destroyed. The land was scorched, and heavy radiant clouds hung over the ruins of that futuristic city once called New Tokyo. Buildings as high as 30 floors lay like felled titans on the bay. The sea was glassy and shaken by the strong winds. Misa and Hikaru looked at that dystopic devastation through the windows,terrified.  
Nowhere else on the planet, not even at Alaska Base was the scenery so catastrophic, and they had not seen such destruction even during the battles with the Zentraedi fleet in space. This left them simply stunned and speechless.  
Then the valkyrie was caught in a storm. The raining and the wind were so violent that were overcoming the giant mecha by lifting it several meters upwards. Misa and Hikaru found themselves completely surrounded by a monstrous grey tangle of clouds, their vision totally blurred. What they could only see were sporadic lightening through the layers of clouds.  
Hikaru was in a cold sweat.  
-We must try to get down! We must get back to the ground!  
He turned on the navigation screen, the Valkyrie was being tossed and banged by powerful gusts of wind.  
Misa was holding onto the pilot's chair with all her strength.  
-Lieutenant Ichijo, switch to battloid mode!  
Hikaru opened his eyes wide in disbelief  
-What d' you say Hayase-tai? We'll be dragged into the whirlwind!  
-Ichijo listen. Try to use the battloid's gun as a thruster for the mecha.  
Misa's voice was adamant, but inside she was shaking.  
Her plan was completely extemporary. But she had spent years at the Academy studying every possible strategy and inventing new ones on variable fighters. Now it was time to test out her experience.  
-Ichijo, Listen.. even though this is a trainer, it can fire air blasts from the main gun. When the first shot creates a shift in the whirlwind, fire a second one to our right, it will neutralize that mass of clouds. Then switch to fighter mode and descend 80 degrees at maximum speed.  
Misa pointed her finger to a flickering area marked on the screen.  
-We will land here.  
The rain poured down like a waterfall, beating down so hard and at such an incredible speed that Hikaru thought it would break through the cockpit. He turned to her, Misa was pale and breathless, leaning against the backseat.  
-Lieutenant Hayase! We did it! Lieutenant Hayase!  
Hikaru had turned completely toward and was reaching out to her.  
Misa smiled, still scared  
-I see...  
-Oh Lieutenant Hayase, you really are a genius! D'you learn this maneuver from someone or you studied it somewhere?  
Misa pulled a strand of hair behind her ear.  
-No, I... I think I just made it up.  
She exhaled noisily as she tried to calm her breathing.  
Hikaru was genuinely stunned.  
-You're amazing commander. I ...you saved our lives...  
Hikaru cautiously held out an arm until he reached Misa's trembling shoulder.  
He gently wrapped his large hand around her.  
Misa looked at him. Instinctively she placed her hand on Hikaru's, squeezing a little. Their fingers interlaced.  
-The truth is... I crapped my pants!  
-Well... me too!  
The two burst out laughing, all the stress vanished.  
The rain was not stopping. It had been raining devastatingly for hours. Hikaru and Misa, who had found some sort of shelter under a rock overlooking a terraced area, had set up the parachute under the valkyrie set in gerwalk mode. The rock, the jet fighter and the fabric still could not mitigate the strong gusts of wind. The two young officers were drenched to the bones. Once again their suits were ruined. Compared to the tropical island, the temperature was very low. Hikaru lit the fire while Misa took off her clothes behind a pleat in the parachute. When she reached him, dressed only in her small robe, she was shivering. Hikaru stood up immediately.  
-Sit down here Lieutenant Hayase. You're shaking like a leaf.  
-Yes...  
Misa suddenly couldn't speak. A strange numbness took hold of her: her tongue was clenched, she felt as if she had stumbled. Hikaru's voice came muffled and distant like an echo.  
-Lieutenant Hayase! Lieutenant Hayase! please answer me... please!  
When she woke up she realized that she was inside her sleeping bag, zipped up to her neck. Her whole body ached, especially the joints of her wrists, knees and ankles. She felt the heat of her whole body rise and fall. First a fire burned her head, then an icy sweat made all her bones shiver one by one.  
-Hayase-tai, can you hear me? Hey you hear me?  
Misa turned her face three-quarters in pain.  
-Ichijo...  
-Lieutenant Hayase you fainted... how you feel?  
-Faint? Why?.. I...  
She tried to raise her upper body by propping an elbow on the ground but suddenly a great dizziness made her shake.  
-Be careful!  
Hikaru had taken her firmly behind her back and held her up, then he placed a hand under the base of her neck keeping up her head.  
-Don't move like that, you're too weak.  
Hikaru's face was so close to hers that Misa could clearly see flames dancing inside his eyeballs.  
-Your eyes are burning...  
she murmured.  
Hikaru panicked. He laid her gently on the pillow and carefully moved her hair from her face. With the back of his hand he checked her temperature, it was hot. Misa uttered only a few small, senseless moans.  
What can I do? She's delirious... She's unconscious.  
Lieutenant Hayase...Please get well. Don't leave me...  
The thought that she might die, stabbed him like a knife. The pain was overwhelming.  
 _No, no, no... first Roy and Minmay... now Commander Hayase_  
Hikaru felt the full weight of his loneliness. The ceaseless rain gave no rest to the ravaged land.  
Misa opened her eyes after five hours of delirious state during which her temperature was extremely high. Hikaru, who knew nothing about medicine, had tried to turn down the heat by putting a wet handkerchief on her forehead, like his mother used to do him as a child.  
He had watched over Commander Hayase in worry, praying loosely and mentally addressing his deceased brother, Roy.  
Please sempai, tell me what to do, Roy you would know what to do.  
Hikaru desperately pulled his hair into his hands.  
-Ichijo-kun...  
Misa's voice was a faint whisper.  
-Hayase-tai!  
Hikaru jumped up and in a flash he was at her side. He took her hand and checked her pulse, immediately sensing that her temperature had lowered.  
-I... what happened ?  
-You got a fever... you fainted, you were delirious... Lieutenant Hayase how are you feeling?  
Misa looked at him  
-I... I don't know... how long has been?  
Hikaru smiled softly.  
-I don't know exactly...maybe one day? It never stopped raining...  
Misa tried to get up  
-Don't move Hayase-tai... I've kept some water on the stove with some fruit in it... take a sip.  
Hikaru rushed to the fire and lifted the kettle from the flames.  
Misa reached out a trembling hand to take the bowl but her fingers were numb.  
-Wait, I'll help you  
Hikaru sat down right behind her and slowly lifted both of her shoulders, making her back rest against his chest.  
-Here, lean on me.  
Misa watched helplessly as he lifted her jaw with his palm and cautiously helped her drink the water.  
The warm and slightly sour fluid burned Misa's sore stomach.  
-Take another sip Lieutenant Hayase. Are you better?  
Misa nodded weakly and closed her eyes.  
Hikaru blushed when she let herself go fully against his chest, her pale cheek resting against the rough fabric of his sweatshirt. Hikaru could clearly see her long eyelashes soaked in tears.  
-Ichijo...  
she murmured quietly  
Hikaru stood still in that spot until he realized that she had fallen asleep.  
Her cheek still resting against the fabric, she kept her eyes closed. A clatter of horn and tires, noise of spinning wheels, excited footsteps, human and artificial voices, all mixed together in a cheerful chaos along with a everlasting background music. It was the sound of Macross City.  
Misa slowly lifted her eyelids, her lashes damp with tears. She still laid her cheek on his chest.  
\- The light is green, go!  
Unable to speak, she nodded and followed him along the walkway: in front of them was the main avenue. The store windows and the huge restaurant and bar ledges were dazzling and colorful and the chatter of passersby grew lower and higher as Misa moved ahead: all the noises of the city mixed together in a ceaseless and addictive chaos... everywhere, everywhere was music.

  
Now that guy will start to walk  
And I know I'll follow him  
Walking right behind in his footprints,  
on the sandy beach, together in the sunset  
In my heart, I start to melt  
Since he just confessed  
But I am sure that I love him the most  
He's always by my side at Sunset Beach!  
The gentle breeze will make big waves  
And I know, now he'll always live inside my heart!  
In just one jump, he makes a splash, and he starts to laugh  
Surfing on 'till the sun is a pendant  
Sunset Beach will glow in the afternoon... **

  
Misa flushed with delight, and wondered if he was thinking about the island, just like her. That song, that Minmay song... it was strange, but it was actually telling their story instead. Hers and Ichijo's.  
 _Why I'm so happy?_  
During the night the bulkheads on the legs of the space battleship, where the city was housed, were always pulled down for the citizen to enjoy the amazing space view.  
-Is it beautiful, isn't it?  
He said pointing the ceiling  
They walked side by side with a casual demeanour. Not too fast not too slow. Both raised their heads up.  
\- Sure ... space is great but I miss that island ...  
She slowed her pace instinctively and he stopped as well. In that moment Misa thought she could catch his scent. He was wearing a simple pale blue shirt that made his eyes even brighter, and she wasn't dressed in her usual uniform, either. A simple short white dress flapped above her knees. She could feel the warmth of him through the light fabric, could feel his breath.  
But what is it? We're so close. And me? Why am I not moving?  
-Why you so quiet?  
Ichijo's teeth glowed in the artificial light.  
-Look, I brought you a present, so... you wanna see it?  
Misa held out both cupped hands and Ichijo put a lemon and a small sack of salt in it.  
She was surprised  
-So? You don't like it? It's for our dinner. So you can cook the fish  
-Oh Lieutenant Ichijo! Stop talking nonsense!  
-You mean you don't like it?  
Misa looked at the salt again and then at him, but Ichijo was always smiling.  
-Don't call me lieutenant. We're not on duty now!  
Somehow the presents vanished and in Misa's hands were only Hikaru's own palms. His large hands with long, square fingers. At the touch of his rough skin something started to hurt inside her guts.  
Misa was bewildered, her heart was racing.  
She watched as their fingers interlaced, and tried to pull her hands back from his, but Ichijo grabbed her by the waist, pushing her body against his. She clearly felt his physical presence, so close, felt his warmth. Something broke inside her. It was somewhere inside her core. It had cracked like an egg shell and now it was spreading like a warm fluid inside her legs.  
Misa was terrified  
 _did he happen to notice...?_  
She searched his gaze with concern. But he smiled, as if he could feel what was inside her.  
 _I haven't felt like this for so long...please hold me..._  
Misa's heart rate was relentless. She could hear it beating loudly inside her ears. Suddenly they were no longer on the street but on a bench in front of the Observatory. The stars revolved in front of Commander Hayase's hazy eyes.  
-iIs so beautiful...  
His voice was a warm sigh in her ear  
-You are beautiful, Hayase-san  
Misa turned back to him.  
Hikaru had cupped her cheek in his palm and was stroking it with his thumb, up and down.  
-But here, now, like this...?  
she said breathlessly.  
His voice was so calm  
-Why? Isn't this your favorite place?  
She nodded  
 _How did he know?_  
She couldn't think clearly anymore but she knew it would happen soon.  
Misa let herself go limply in his arms, rested her back on his chest, closed her eyes, placed her cheek on his shirt.  
-Ichijo...  
Even though she wasn't looking, she could distinctly feel his soft lips brushing against her temple, her jaw... and landing on her neck.  
Aaah...  
Ichijo's tongue was rough, and wet. It was tracing a line of fire down her neck to her throat, back and forth.  
Misa was trying desperately not to make a sound.  
His hands moved over her thin dress, rustling the fabric, while his tongue and lips went the other way, from her throat, to her neck, to her jaw...  
When their lips met Misa opened her eyes  
 _Please..._  
When their lips met, Misa's mouth spread open like a flower dripping with dew, and his tongue gently worked its way inside. Misa couldn't quite believe the pleasure washing over her. She tried to press her hands down on his chest, to stop that overflowing feeling. But he, acting as if she was enticing him, literally bent over her, covering her with his body.  
Again his ardent, wet mouth, invaded hers. The feel of the impact was so strong that the stars in front of her eyes flashed.  
A shock that went through her entire body and left her adrift. Misa clung to Hikaru's chest to keep from being swept away. She lifted her face and looked once again at those eyes as blue as the sea... the sea of that island...  
Hikaru's finger was thrusting and pushing towards her. Misa couldn't resist, with sweaty hands she crumpled his shirt.  
Somehow she sensed that a strong spasm was about to shake her body and she was happy,  
...yes she was happy...  
She clearly felt waves of pleasure building up around Hikaru's hand... he called her: his voice came from the distance as if carried by an echo.  
-Misa...?

  
**to be continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * lines are taken from SDF Macross tv series, episode 7 - Big Escape.
> 
> ** The song is Sunset Beach performed by Lynn Minmay-Mari Iijima (english translation).
> 
> Hello everyone. This is the third chapter of this little story. I was planning to end it in three chapters but it got long!
> 
> The truth is that I can't help but enjoy Misa and Hikaru. They are so fabulous! I included a little love scene at the end. I hope it didn't bother anyone! eehhe


	4. Chapter 4

**EARTH WANDERERS**

**A Hikaru and Misa story**

**chapter 4**

_Warning: this chapter has a love scene included. You will get alerted when it starts so, if you don't want to read it, you can skip and go straight to the epilogue in chapter 5. I also wanted to thank you for reading with all my heart. Mao_

Misa felt like shiver and desperately held her breath to hush that moan.

Then she blinked, repeatedly, as she awoke from sleep. Her alert conscience suddenly overcame her: the feeling was like emerging from water after a long period of apnea.

Misa's eyes widened in terror, her mouth opened to swallow a big gulp of air and then she realized where she really was. She was on the floor, within a camp tent, closed up to her neck in her sleeping bag: she could hear the sound of wild wind and rain.

Suddenly the memory of the dream came up in all its tangible, undeniably realistic feel: a wave of embarrassment, mixed with panic, made her shudder.

_Oh my god...oh my god, oh my..._

Misa hid her head inside the sleeping bag, dipping into the folds as she clutched head in hands in fetal position, still clearly feeling the touch of his hands on her body.

_Oh my god, how... did he hear something? Is he just out here? Oh god it's so embarrassing!_

Misa couldn't bring herself to even think about the possibility that Ichijo had heard her moaning in her sleep. That dream...

She squeezed her eyes tighter, clenched her jaw, then, carefully, opened one eye. Through the zipper of her cocoon, she could see the light glow of the campfire.

_What time is it? What day is it? Is it day or night? Ichijo..._

She flushed briskly at the thought of him, felt her cheeks burning.

Slowly she lifted one hand out of the sleeping bag and cautiously popped up her head, an inch at a time. Not making a sound. Suspiciously, she turned around, holding her breath. Her eyes scanned the entire area covered by the tent. Ichijo's sleeping bag was unpacked and abandoned on the floor. The fire was a tiny light and cast its last glow before dying out.

Misa started to breathe again. Thank god Ichijo wasn't there...

The things she felt... had been so real..

She threw herself into the sleeping bag again, and buried her head, trying to recollect those fading memories... she had never dreamed of anything like this, simply because... she had never, in real life, had an experience like this.

The kisses she had shared with Riber von Fruhling were... different. And when he'd made her his...well, Misa hadn't been able to get relaxed: she'd been stiff, almost anxious... the whole time. She smiled bitterly at that memory so far back in time. After that, she had never been with a man again.

_If you acted more feminine like today, I'm sure you'll have a queue of guys asking for a date..._

Misa's heart skipped a beat at remembering Ichijo's words.

_Must be the fever... yes he told me I had a fever, that... I was delirious_

A sound of rustling fabric and the intensifying rumble of rain reached her ears, bringing her out of her thinking... a sound of footsteps. It was him.

-Lieutenant Hayase! You awake! How you feeling!?

Misa blushed wildly.

_It's him._

Still the remembrance of that dream did not leave her: she couldn't look at him, but she distinctly sensed the presence of his body approaching.

She turned around completely, her face to the opposite side.

-The fire is almost gone!

Misa took a deep breath, gathering courage, and turned back around.

-Ichijo...

He was crouched on the campfire, drenched, once again, to the bone.

On the floor, on the top of a nylon strip were lying what, at first sight, seemed to be fish with huge eyes and an almost deformed shape.

Misa glanced at him again

-Did you get out?

Throughout the night he had been watching over Lieutenant Hayase's sleep. As the hours passed, his despair slowly gave way to a more tempered concern. Her temperature seemed to have lowered and Hikaru had breathed in relief. He had cradled her in his arms, for didn't know how long, until he had realized that she had fallen into a deep sleep.

He blushed as he stared at her cheek, resting on his chest with a kind of abandon: it was as if she had put her entire life in his hands, and Hikaru was surprisingly, maddeningly happy about it. Finally, after all these days, he had felt that his life was not useless, that his presence was necessary, that his existence was essential to Commander Hayase's recovery. She needed him. This feeling was enough to give him back all the strength that seemed to be gone.

At the first hints of a livid dawn, he covered up with a nylon sheet and went outside into the thick rain. His mission was finding some food, anything. She had vital need to eat, she was so weak. And well, he was starving too.

Hikaru looked around the windswept bay.

_There had to be fish in the sea._

With the strength of his mere nerves, he managed to wade his body into the small natural pools on the shore, struggling against a sharp headwind.

Wielding the fine-carved stick from Mao's village, he made his way through the small, foamy, jagged waves in the half-light. Only his gut instinct had lead him against that hostile nature. After an hour or so, Hikaru Ichijo was exhausted. Soaked from head to toe, his face completely wet, he rested on the concrete platform that must have once been part of the urban architecture.

At his feet, four dying fish were twitching, stabbed in the rough wood. His eyes were burning from the extreme salinity of the water.

_I just hope the water and fish aren't radioactive... at least not too much_

He breathed deeply as he watched the result of his fishing trip.

_At least Lieutenant Hayase will get food..._

He smiled as he thought back on how tenderly she'd abandoned herself to him. Her pale face was covered with pinkish spots, due to the fever, even her hands and neck were flushed and her lashes cast small dark shadows on her cheeks. Hikaru reddened as he recalled how his fingertips had traced the line of her temples, down to her jaw and throat. And then traced the reverse path. Her skin was incredibly soft and smooth. Why had he stroked her like that? His thoughts were mixed. He felt a strong burning inside his core. He couldn't tell exactly where.

All he knew was that, the thought alone that something might happen to Lieutenant Hayase, terrified him to the bone. He felt that he would not survive her loss. Yet he had survived Roy's death... and it was because of her... she'd been helping him, encouraging him, even sewed him clothes... and just a few hours earlier she'd successfully guided him into the storm with the valkyrie. Just like when she was directing air traffic on the tacnet, on Macross.

Just like back then, she had kept her nerves and the temper of a true soldier.

Hikaru sighed, realizing how much he had underestimated her, devalued her, and even... made fun of her. He had done everything he could to intentionally upset her... he even told her that it was easy giving orders with a safe ass on the bridge, as the pilots went out into scramble. He squeezed his eyes shut with sorrow remembering his words and his own stupidity.

_How could I just come up with such a thing... how could I be such an asshole?!_

_Forgive me Lieutenant Hayase..._

Hikaru raised up to his feet, gathering the results of his fishing.

_She is so brave and yet so... fragile_

Hikaru still felt that pain in the deepest of his chest that he could not decode.

_She is... like a wild flower_

He shook his head as if to chase away his twisted thoughts: but instead, repeating memories of the night before flashed before his eyes.

Her eyelashes, damp with tears, her loose hair falling over her face, her lips flushed with a pale pinkish hue, the almond-shaped nails of her tiny hands clinging at the tissue of his sweatshirt.

She was...

_I will protect you Lieutenant Hayase, just like you did me...I'll never leave you alone..._

-Did you get outside?

Misa's question was pretty much obvious. She watched Hikaru's drenched hair as he bent down to fuel the embers.

She watched him as he was focused on his work. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that Misa, all of a sudden, felt alone.

The feeling of that dream was still so clear that was upsetting her. She didn't know why and she didn't know what she really wanted. She closed her eyes, turning her head away in fury, then gasped when she felt Hikaru's hand touching her wrist.

-What you doing!?

Hikaru stepped back a little

-I was just... checking your temperature...

Commander Hayase was staring at him with her angry eyes...but why? He had spent hours outside in the cold and rain to find something to eat for her and now she... suddenly he felt so sad

Hikaru sighed and went back to his fumbling around the fire.

Misa was unable to put her feelings in any sort of order. She buried her head under her sleeping bag again. She sensed his disappointment and wanted to apologize but couldn't, words just won't come out.

_If I could only disappear, could I? I m so useless..._

After half an hour of silence between them, Hikaru approached Misa's sleeping place again. He was holding the wooden stick he'd gotten on the island, where he'd stabbed the fish to grill on the fire.

The look was awful, could not deny it.

-Lieutenant Hayase... - he said dimly - it's ready.

Misa glared at him with an anguished face. The sight of that misshapen fish, with that frighteningly long gills, made her feel more miserable than ever. She turned her back to Ichijo, and covered her eyes with her hands.

-You haven't eaten in three days...you need to eat something...

-I...I'd rather die than eat something like this.

-But I added the radiation neutralizer, it's not supposed to be toxic or harmful...

Misa did not reply and kept turning her back on Hikaru.

_Why Lieutenant Hayase, why are you so stubborn? What should I do?_

Hikaru dropped the stick with the fish on the floor, and sighed

-It is our duty to survive... you... you said it...

Misa shuddered.

\- He doesn't matter anymore.

-What? at least we are on Earth... and I'm sure Macross... Macross will be back soon.

Misa smiled bitterly and turned over, then lied on her back, her eyes firmly staring at the ceiling.

-You don't understand, don't you? Macross' return won't make any difference... there is no one left on earth...

-But the people on the ship...

Misa felt all the despair racing through her body. She lifted herself up by bending her elbows on the floor, staring at Hikaru with that wild look she showed earlier.

-The planet Earth has been annihilated! The enemy can destroy 10 million people in a matter of an instant! The return of Macross won't make any difference!

Caught up in the turmoil, she started coughing heavily. She had had to lie on her back again. Hikaru got immediately nervous.

-Hayase-tai! Don't strain yourself!

He took a handkerchief left soaking in a bowl full of water, squeezed it, and carefully placed it on her hot forehead.

She stared into his eyes.

Why had she yelled at him? Why couldn't she hide her awful temper? He does not deserve this...

_Maybe it was better to die..._

Her eyes were filled with tears.

-It's so miserable... being officier of an army doomed to lose.

She looked at him again, as if she wanted to convey all those feelings fighting inside her, and Hikaru felt like drowning inside those sad, green eyes.

-But you... you are surprisingly tough...Your upbringing must have made you that way. You've always been alone, haven't you?

Hikaru tensed

-I heard about you from Commander Focker...

-Sempai...

-You dont have any family... you lost your mother when you were just a child and your father died in an accident...

Hikaru bit his lower lip as he turned down his gaze

-Yeah...he messed up in an acrobat manouvre and crashed...

Hikaru mimicked with his right hand the gesture of an plane falling in a dive

-Kyuunnn!

He was trying to be playful but his voice was cracky...

Misa looked at him in amazement... he, he was much far stronger than she was. In every way.

-You've been living alone since then...

Hikaru's smile was almost a grimace

-Somehow... I was just a racer, I've been flying planes since I was a kid.

\- Maybe that's why you're okay in a situation like this...

Misa realized what she had said, just as she was saying it.

These sad words, which seemed to define his life, made Hikaru's heart falter.

He immediately stepped away from her and sat down a few meters far, clasping his knees and resting his chin on them.

He felt a sort of humiliation, as the sad story of his short life was being revealed to her.

_Is that what you think of me Lieutenant Hayase? I'm really that little to you?_

Hikaru clenched his teeth in anger. A few minutes before, his feelings were popping up like flowers in his young heart, but now... it was all covered in a layer of wet sand. The flowers were choking.

Misa realized how rude her words had been: she lifted up again.

-Ichijo I... I'm sorry...

As she sat up, the handkerchief spilled from her head onto her lap. Misa picked it up with trembling fingers. Despite being soaked for a long time, Lynn Minmay's autograph was still visible, neatly imprinted on the fabric. A tiny signature,with fading contours and a small heart at the base of the Y.

Misa unconsciously clutched the cloth in the palm of her hand.

-I... I'm sorry...

She said again looking at Hikaru, but he didn't answer, he didn't even turn his face towards her. He stood motionless in the fire light.

_He thinks of Minmay that's why he wants to live! He has a reason to keep going... he surely thinks she's still alive... and he wants to live so he can get to meet her again._

Misa was heartbroken, tears streamed freely down her face but he didn't see her, didn't even look at her.

_Ichijo I am so little to you... it would be better for you if I didn't even exist!_

Sobbing in silence, she reached out her hand toward the monstrous fish. Reclutanty, brought a piece of the rough leathery flesh to his mouth. It was as hard and bitter as her heart. She could hardly stifle a gasp of nausea. Then, after eating a few bites, she went back down. Ichijo hadn't spoken a word. Loneliness had separated them again. Misa kept staring at him as she fell asleep.

Next morning rain had miraculously ceased. Even the wind had gone, dragging the lightning-bulging clouds eastward. Hikaru had left the tent at dawn. He was still upset with Commander Hayase. More than anything, it was his pride that was bleeding. Because he had been kind to her and she, he assumed, had rejected him.

He breathed in the ocean breeze, filling his lungs. The month, if his math was correct, was August.

The torrid summer in New Tokyo when he was a kid... thinking about it now, it just seemed like a weird dream... the Matsuri festival at nightfall, in their neighborhood...

-Hey Hikaru-chan, tonight I'm gonna buy you a goldfish...

-And you'll take me to the fireworks?

-See how high up they are? I can fly a lot higher in my plane...

-Sempai! I wanna go with you in your plane, can I?

\- You'll make it better, one day you'll ride it yourself.

-And I'll be better than you, Roy!?

-Don't overdo it... that will never happen!

Focker's giggles echoed incredibly crystal clear in his ears, as if he were there right now, beside him.

_Roy it's all my fault... I wish I've never came to South Atalia..._

A hand rested on his shoulder. Hikaru had to stifle a startled gasp.

-Lieutenant Hayase...

he said abruptly.

Misa was standing by his side, though he hadn't heard her approach: she shyly glanced at him, but Hikaru turned his gaze away, looking in an undefined point at the end of the bay.

-Have you been here a while? I didn't hear you come in.

-Yeah, I...

Misa made a muffled sound

\- You were truly deep in thought...

Then he snapped nervously, moving a few random steps around.

-I was just thinking, that... it finally stopped raining

Misa walked after him, trying to catch his gaze. She wanted to thank him, she had to, even it was hard... to swallow her pride.

Hikaru didn't answer.

-I... I don't know what I'd have done without you... thank you for taking care of me, the way... the way you did...

Misa's voice was almost a whisper, her cheeks were tinged with pink. But she was still searching insistently for his gaze. Finally their eyes met, and something in the blue of his glance softened, and melted into hers.

The rays of that radiant sun rested on their young faces, painting their features a golden hue. The storm had given way to a light breeze that gently played with Misa's hair.

He followed the long strands moving in the air and, as if speaking to himself, murmured

-Your hair's getting mussed...

He stretched out his right hand towards her and a moment later, as if in a trance, he was stroking her hair slowly, from head to shoulders.

Misa shivered sensing Hikaru's hand: she slightly tilted her head to one side, advancing imperceptibly toward him. Before she could even realize it, she had already fallen into his arms. Misa breathed deeply, pressing her face to his chest, as if that was the last breath she had left. The young man's arms closed around the frail shoulders of his superior officer, while she encircled his waist, grasping the fabric of his uniform. They stayed like that for an endless time, desperately dealing with all the feelings that crowded their hearts.

They were all too many, and contradictory, and could not be deciphered, but both of them in that very moment, knew they were close again, even more after the previous night's misunderstandings and pain. Misa held on to him as if to her last hope.

-Hayase-tai...

Hikaru spoke slowly on her forehead

-Hayase-tai... let's go away.

Misa nodded against his chest, rubbing her nose and lips over the Skull logo embroidered on his uniform, then squeezed her arms even tighter around Hikaru's broad chest.

-Yeah... Ichijo-kun... let's go...

The valkyrie once again flew over the ravaged land, and over the sea.

Misa let her gaze flow over the vast water expanse, not wanting to think of anything definite, as if she was just letting go...

Suddenly something caught her attention:

-Hey! lLook! There!

Hikaru turned his eyes in all directions.

-Down to the right! A pillar!

It was really a pillar, a rampart. It stood among the waves far away on the distant.

-Let's take a look!

Hikaru switched the set-up to gerwalk mode and cautiously approached the mysterious pillar floating on the water: when they got there they soon noticed the unusual shape of the building. It didn't look like anything they had ever seen, as if it didn't actually conform to the way humans used to build things.

-What the hell?

Hikaru landed slowly on the top of that bizarre outlandish structure, when strange egg-shaped yards of various sizes appeared before their eyes.

-They look just like landing strips, eh Lieutenant?

Misa nodded in wonder.

-I see...

The two young officers jumped down from the canopy. The column was covered with marine debris as if it had been submerged for a long time.

Seaweed and sponges fully covered the surfaces, and shells and fossils embedded the stones inextricably. A sharp smell of saltiness permeated the air. Then Hikaru saw some doorways. They looked like 30 feet length gates, with smaller doors in them: they were hollow. From outside you couldn't distinguish anything but an unearthly darkness.

-I'm wondering if we should go...

said Hikaru pointing at the doors

Misa nodded again silently. Soon both realized they had been holding their breath and took a huge gulp of air. They looked at each other and burst into a small nervous laugh. Hikaru stepped forward and Misa quickly followed, behind him.

They entered a door and faced an immense staircase leading upward. Sunlight streamed in through a crumbling skylight in the ceiling. Step by step, they climbed the crumbling stairs, advancing cautiously: Hikaru, instinctively took Misa's hand, guiding her ahead. Their fingers intertwined.

They reached the last step and entered a huge room and they both cried out in shock. Before them, there was a vast, intricate computer system: they had came up towards a large, octagon-shaped hall, which appeared to be a community center, or something.

Countless command stations were spread over the several corners and, what looked like a large conference table, stood in the middle surrounded by furniture and seats.

-It looks like it has been submerged for a long time

said Hikaru

Misa, letting go of his hand, approached one of the seats that seemed -in every way- built to be handled by... human beings.

Misa didn't get the nerve to sit down, but Hikaru took the leap and let go softly on one of the chairs. It was damp and spongy.

-It's the same size as we are!

Misa chewed her lower lip

-If not from the giants... then who?

She tried to touch the analog keyboard in front of a display screen

-And... what if it's a fold communication system?

-Is it still running?

Misa gasped, almost frantic.

-It's operational! If the communication system is intact...

She let go a small cry

-Maybe we can contact Macross!

Feverishly, she got over to the computer to see if she could get it to work but Hikaru felt doubtful, watching Misa fiddle with the keypad.

-But... what happens if we're detected by the enemy?

-I know... but it's a risk we have to take! If the crew is still alive... surely they'll come for us!

Claudia. Captain Gloval. The girls...

Misa's heart skipped

The screen lit up with her own surprise. Her fingers flicked desperately over the keys typing the space, navy, ground and fold code for the SOS. Misa relayed all the distress signals she knew.

_She's so smart..._

thought Hikaru with a bit of sadness

_I'm useless here. I'd just be pressing random keys._

The futuristically retro ovoid screen lit up for a moment, providing a binary code Misa could not deciphert: then the unit blinked twice and died with a hiss. She tried 10 times again but her effort was all for naught. They waited but there was no reply. Misa slumped down on the keypad, hopless.

-Lieutenant Hayase, maybe we can just try one more?

Hikaru walked away to the other side of the room where there were further workstations, with keyboards monitors and so on.

Hikaru did just as he had thought, he pressed random keys from a randomly chosen keyboard for no reason. Suddenly then, there was an unearthly outburst from the computer, and a shining light like an aurora enveloped them. The light was so intense that they both instinctively blinked: only when their eyes adjusted to the glow, Misa and Hikaru could see a cascade of lights, similar to LEDs intensity, flowing from an elliptical plate hanging from the ceiling.

An image of a man and a woman materialized before their eyes.

-What's going on?

Misa cried out, and quickly ran to Ichijo, involuntarily clutching his left arm.

Hikaru protectively lifted his right one and wrapped her shoulder.

It almost seemed as if the images had noticed Misa grabbing Hikaru, and had taken that as a cue to start talking. The language was unknown. Hikaru didn't catch a single syllable. Instinctively he turned to Misa, who was trying to decipher

-We were... we... we were waiting... we were waiting for your arrival?

Misa was extremely confused, her eyebrows furrowed.

Hikaru looked at her even more stunned.

-Lieutenant Hayase, you understand what it's saying?

-I don't know... I... it's a bit similar to the language of the Zentraedis.

The woman's image enlarged showing two spheres inside her abdomen, then a small child-like figure appeared in the center. Next, another smaller child showed up. All the figures were curiously detailed two-dimensional images.

-If you are... beings with minds, we wish to instruct you why your varied ancestors came to separate and fight. Genetic engineering... had made it possible... to preserve and maintain the species in... monosexual presence...alone?

Misa was tryin to translate what the computer was just telling them.

-Where men and women are separated, there is no culture... Where slaughter reigns, there is no culture...

Then the computer stopped speaking.

-What? What does it mean? Who are you?!

shouted Misa first in English and at last in the giants' language

-Del yar! Del yar! Tan yar! Tan yar!*

Misa kept on calling for an answer that didn't come.

-What does it means!?

Misa yelled at the image slowly melting into luminous dust.

She brought her hands to her face

-No wait! Wait!

An inscription appeared on the screen that Hikaru had turned on earlier. As the lights slowly faded away, the code was repeated endlessly all over the page.

-Hayase-tai look...

The two young officers stepped closer in alarm. Misa's voice trembled and she looked at Hikaru with terror

-They will use the last energy left to... surface the city?

-Surface the city? what the...

Hikaru couldn't close the sentence, at that very moment a great massive jolt made them collapse on the floor, instantly. Misa hit her head on the table and started to bleed. Hikaru fell to his knees. The floor was shaking hard. All around them, the monstrous roar of the rising waves drilled into their ears.

-Lieutenant Hayase!

Hikaru rushed towards her, crawling on his knees and elbows. He lifted her face with the palm of his hand.

-Hayase-tai! You okay?

-Ichijo kun... what's going on? Is it an earthquake?

The panic in Misa's eyes overflowed to him. He held her tightly in his arms, wrapping his body around hers as much as possible.

The sound of hundreds and hundreds of tons lifting upwards, scraping the ocean depths, was something inhuman.

Hikaru was feeling a terror he had never experienced, even in deep space, in absolute darkness, when on his fighter he stood face to face with the enemy.

Misa was breathing heavily under his body.

_It's the end... it's the end..._

she though

_Forgive me Ichijo, I couldn't do anything to protect you._

Suddenly the bone-chilling noise and the unbearable turmoil ceased. Just as they had begun. Everything around them was still, silent and still. They could hear from the outside the cry of a bird breaking through the air, and then started to breathe again.

Hikaru carefully lifted himself up and helped Misa to her feet.

-It felt like a fold!

Misa smiled and lifted a hand to her head.

-Something like this...

-But you're bleeding...

-It's nothing Ichijo... really...

-Let's go back to the Valkyrie, quick!

But when the two UN spacy officers walked back through the door they had entered, the sight to their eyes was simply stunning, unbelievable.

A city. A city stretched for miles before their eyes. Certainly it could not be called anything else, that was a city: there were houses, buildings, streets, there were squares and machineries, there were tools and wheels, everything showed that futuristic but, at the same time, ancient feel.

Everything was covered with seagrass and Hikaru remembered the legend of Atlantis, the city of wonders that lies at the bottom of the ocean.

The sea light breeze was smooth: both looked at each other at the same time, both smiled at each other. Without speaking, because speaking had become almost impossible in front of that view, they embraced, this time tenderly: both, for no real reason, felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if they were home, safe.

Without letting her go Hikaru muttered

-Lieutenant Hayase, should we take a look?

She lifted her gaze over his shoulder to meet his eyes, blue as the sky on a summer day, looking at her in waiting.

-Yes...

The city was built on several levels, with a circular plan. When looking at it again, and with clinical eyes, Misa could not help but feel that sense of something present but old, as the world itself.

-D'ya think the inhabitants of this city were our ancestors?

Hikaru's loud voice, as they walked along an avenue, pulled her out of her musings.

-I... it's strange Ichijo-kun... I never thought our ancestors were so advanced but...

-The whole Neanderthal thing is a farce of the United Earth Government, isn't it?

Hikaru let out a light-hearted laugh and Misa, who once would have been mad at him for such words, let out a muffled laugh as well.

-Maybe. But... listen...

The two of them sat on the edge of a huge ruined pool, where you could still see the fine, chiseled patterns. Hikaru started to throw shards on the water, making them skip around.

-Listen, Ichijo... the very little I was able to decipher out of what the computer said... it seems that once upon a time our ancestors were capable of reproducing their own offspring, without needing...ehr...

Misa suddenly got all flustered: she could not find the words

-Without having ehr... sexual intercourse, you know...

Hikaru looked at her in confusion.

-Yeah they... they used to procreate in this way, until the two genders, man and woman, became so independent from each other that they no longer had any interest in living together and... a war began ...Where men and women are separated, there is no culture. Where slaughter reigns, there is no culture. The computer did say that... but what's their meaning of culture?

Hikaru threw another stone on the water. Misa went on with her own deductions

-I wonder what could have led men and women to end up fighting each other... it's the same with the Zentraedi? Is that what's behind the war between the men and the woman of the alien giants? Yeah...maybe it is the reason why they were so focused and shocked on both sexes living together aboard the Macross... and that would also explain why seeing just a kiss threw them into such a panic!

Misa clasped both hands together

-This may be the solution!

Hikaru looked at her in awe

-But...what could lead women and men to hate each other so much that they wanted to annihilate one another?

-I don't know what sort of rights each would claim - she said - but it's ridiculous to let it end up like that!

-Sometimes, stupid things like that really do happen - Hikaru replied.

-But letting it turn into a war? I think anyone would try to prevent a war, if they saw that things were leading in that direction.

-They were probably just dragged into it, it was said.

-Just bad luck, you mean?

-In a way...

He looked thoughtful

-It's sorta like you and me.

-Hm? How so?

Misa was surprised

-Do you remember? Even though we'd barely talked, all we ever did was argue!

-That's true...

she said

-If all this hadn't happened, I'm sure we were still at each other's throats.

-Maybe you're right...

-I'm sorry ... for all the times I pissed you off.

Misa remained silent, then tried to laugh, it was a tense laugh.

Hikaru tossed another pebble and searched for Misa's gaze.

-Focker Sempai used to say, 'It's wonderful that there are men and women in this world, so both can love each other'

-Well, that's the sort of blunt remark that Major Focker would say...

Misa avoided his gaze and jumped to her feet. She didn't look back, just brushed a lock behind her ear, a gesture that Hikaru deeply recognized as uniquely hers. Misa's silhouette stood out against that silvery city. Hikaru had to stifle the instinct to stroke her hair again, and feel her soft body in his arms.

The whole feeling was almost painful. What was happening to him now? It was like being inside one of those dreams he had every now and then. Something that he never wanted to let go.

-Hey Hikaru!

Focker's voice was still echoing in his ears.

-A man needs to be agressive sometimes! if you like a girl...well you get her, even if you have to force her! There's no room for hesitation. Move in right next to her and take her hand. She'll probably try to let go, but don't let her! Keep holding her hand, then pull her in and embrace her. And then you can go in for the kiss!

Focker's sincere, cheeky, incomparable laugh that he would never forget...

Hikaru stared at Misa's body from head to toe and blushed

_Sempai how can I do something like that?_

-Let's have a look at those buildings over there!

she said, vaguely waving her hand at a complex below and Hikaru jumped up

-Aye!

The two young officers quickly climbed down a sort of stairway with small rounded steps. As Misa had expected, it was a sort of housing complex. The houses were spread out in a precise order, following the circular map of the entire city. The upper levels still drained water onto the lower ones, letting off an incessant rhythmic drip, almost hypnotic.

-Lieutenant Hayase, take a look! These seem to be vehicles!

Hikaru quickly slipped inside a sort of rounded chariot. He punched the dashboard to test its stability.

-There are a lot of keys! Hey... who can tell if it's some kind of car!

Misa was busy staring at a block of marble, a sort of pillar similar to a mailbox, covered with buttons that were off, as well. She pressed them at random with her fingertips, as if playing a musical instrument. A hissing noise immediately responded to her touch, and a small metal panel popped out of a slot in the middle of the button rows

-What's this?

She murmured, and picked it up. Hikaru reached Misa and peeked over her shoulder.

The metal panel was shiny: a series of lettering in an unknown alphabet was laminated on the surface. The plate was extraordinarily well preserved.

-There's writing on it - Hikaru said - Can you read it?

-Not at all... its pretty different from the Zentraedis language.

-Maybe it's the key to unlock this mystery, who knows? I think we were led here so that we could be given this. It must be incredibly important!

Misa looked at Hikaru with amusement

-You seem to have a very strong sense of adventure!

Hikaru quickly stroked the back of his neck, slighty akward.

-Well yeah I... let's say I like brain teasers, and like solving them... the more tricky they are, the more fun it is there!

Misa was about to say something, but her eyes got lost in that blue gaze that seemed to be seeking for her deepest thoughts. She clutched the panel in her fingers, feeling she had lost all sense of direction. Actually everything around them had now blurred edges, as if they were not trapped in a mysterious city that had been sleeping underwater for thousands or even tens of thousands of years: the only thing they could see was the other person.

Faced with this silent world where the two of them were the only people, they felt overwhelmed and something awakened in their hearts. It was still ambiguous, like a word that hadn't been defined, but both of them felt a mounting sense of expectation. Feeling this unfamiliar strange emotion fill her heart and wanting to deny it, Misa awkwardly stepped back.

\- Let's try to check out one of these houses

she said nervously.

Hikaru walked behind her, never taking his eyes off of her, off of her shoulders and her long hair that swayed at every step.

The house was ruined from the ceiling, that gave a glimpse of the sky. The doors were torn off or worn. Large puddles of water filled the floors. Misa descended a small set of stairs and found herself ankle-deep in the water. Hikaru leaned against the jamb

-It looks like a plain old house, lets take a look elsewhere!

Misa turned to face him

-Ehr... mind if I stay here just a bit longer? There is no reason but...

Misa brushed a lock behind her ear and glanced at him shyly

-I just kind of want to...

-Ok...I'll take a look in the surroundings

Hikaru walked away from the house, without looking back. Misa raised her right hand and waved him goodbye.

She wanted to explore all the spaces of what was undoubtedly a home. A home where living beings similar to them had lived their lives. She wished she could understand that strange language and get to know... what Ichijo had called "the key to unlock the mystery". Ichijo... the mere thought of him suddenly made her heart rate increase. With all her five senses she remembered their embrace, how he had covered her with his body during that huge quake, just moments before.

As she fiddled with her fingers inside what looked like a sink filled with water, she thought of him.

She remembered her time alone with him. Arguments. How they yell at each other. And then the blissing island. The waterfall pool. The parachute clothes, the necklace with the sparkling spheres... the terryifing storm in Japan. How he taked care of her while she was sick... Her mind was overflowing with shards of memory.

_Hikaru... do you remember all we went through?_

She never get to call him by his name... and she realized that she would have wanted to do it... and she would have wanted to...

Misa grabbed a pitcher with a thin, wispy handle. It was a little scratched but it was just like a pitcher in every way. A simple jug filled with water. There were also cups and glasses, there were plates and cutlery. All perfectly preserved...

Misa smiled softly

_Some things just never change..._

When Hikaru came back to the house, some time had passed. He had set out to explore the nearby buildings and actually tried to set those strange wheeled stuff in motion, but to no result.

His footsteps echoed in the hall leading to that room. A constant tinkling of water surrounded his steps with the rhythm of the splish splash of his boots on the floor. It was like being inside an aquarium. Hikaru Ichijo's eyes widened, as he made his way down the few steps leading to the room, and his body froze for a moment. she had set up a large oval table. Dishes, glasses, crockery and tableware were arranged on the surface.

Misa, holding a tray on which she carried a jug and two long glasses, was about to put the finishing touches to the table. Without watching him and still arranging the tools, only said

-Oh you're home!

Hikaru's heart took a leap. He almost couldn't breathe. He parted his lips but could not speak, so he kept going down the stairs, dipping his legs into the water up to his ankles.  
Misa lifted her gaze from the table and met his eyes. Her whole face had an appearance that he did not know. She looked both excited and shy, and Hikaru sensed that on that table she was exposing her most secret feelings, her soul and her heart. Everything about her was beautiful and sweet, in her body and in her moves.

-Please have a seat

She added with a coy smile.

Hikaru was touched by her tenderness, by her innocence. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that everything would be all right, that he would never leave her, and he also wanted to...

-Lieutenant Hayase...

-It's been a long time since we've sat at a table, isn't it?

Misa raised an empty glass as if to toast, and immediately Hikaru stretched his closer to hers. The crystal sparkled in the greenish light and made a slight sound.

-Kampai!**

-Kampai!

-What are we toasting to?

said Misa

-To this beautiful table and the chairs we're sitting on!

Hikaru smiled widely raising his glass

-To the table and the chairs!

Misa let go a little giggle.

-It's been at least a month, right?

Hikaru noticed that Misa's eyes were turning sad and didn't want to spoil the atmosphere, so he quickly changed the subject.

-What did you cook today Lieutenant Hayase?

Misa looked up, both confused and pleasantly surprised.

-Well I... made a sole meuniere*** with a lot of lemon juice... and salt, a lot of coarse minced salt.

Hikaru smiled showing all his teeth

-This is incredible, you won't believe it, but it's what I wanted to eat most in the world.

He picked up his knife and fork and played as if he were eating the sole, cutting the fish on the surface of the empty plate.

-Wow but it's really tasty! I think you should cook it more often, Lieutenant Hayase!

Misa smiled awkwardly, hiding her face behind the big glass.

-You mean it? It's just an old recipe I learned years ago.

-Did you learn it in military school?

Misa burst out laughing,

-Oh no! of course not! my mother taught it to me, you know...

she paused

-Just like yours, my mother also died... when I was very young.

Hikaru closed his eyes for a moment. Now he was getting the words of Commander Hayase during that night in the tent. She, like him, had lived in solitude from a very young age.

-Well.. you learned to cook as a kid? Uh, I...how old are you exactly Lieutenant Hayase?

Misa smiled quietly

-This may sound strange, since you called me an obasan**** more than once, but I'm 21 years old.

Misa for the first time that evening, looked at Hikaru straight in the eye with a sort of teasing, resting his glass on the table.

Hikaru paled, as he set his down, as well.

-I... I'm sorry... that was dumb...

He said sadly

Misa let go a giggle

-It doesn't matter, in fact... thinking about it now, I found it quite funny...

-NO! It's not!

Hikaru raised his voice more than he would. He cleared his throat for a moment, fiddling with a fork, then stared into Misa's eyes with a serious look.

-I was a real... idiot. You're young Hayase-t ai

Misa smiled nervously

-Yeah.. of course...

-You are young Hayase-tai -he cut it off, but gently - and beautiful.

Misa unintentionally let go of a content sound. She brought a hand to her face, as if hiding from the him.

-You don't have to say things only to please me

Her gaze wandered around the room and up to the crumbling ceiling.

-I really mean it, Lieutenant Hayase

His voice crossed her ears and Misa felt that she was reddening, she felt a turmoil rising fast inside her chest.

-And you... how old are you Ichijo?

she said, trying to sound indifferent.

-I'll be 19 in November. You know, I'm not that much younger than you.

Misa did not reply. What was that supposed to mean? And why had he told her she was beautiful? He had been so sweet to her, lately. She fought the urge to get up and run, as far away as she could, from that pilot who was making her feel in a way she had never felt before.

They kept having a long talk, and when their lips went dry from talking, they remained silent together, the leisurely silence of two people who understood each other. And though meager, the banquet was enough to fill their hearts, if not their stomachs.

Hikaru smiled, playing with the food plate.

-When we get back to Macross we're gonna eat a whole ton of udon. I think I can eat a whole pot of noodles!

Misa glanced at him, amused

-Don't know how I regret the times I turned down eating at some diner with the Skull squadron guys. Kakizaki-kun you know? He has the stomach of an ox. He could eat a whole bowl of udon and a huge steak right before gettin' on the simulator. Have you ever been to one of those Chinese restaurants downtown?

Misa changed her face.

Even though Hikaru hadn't named it precisely, she knew he was referring to the restaurant of Lynn Kaifun's parents, the cousin and manager of Miss Minmay. It was a very popular hangout for soldiers and civilians, as you often could spot the lovely pop star chatting amiably with her fans among the tables.

All of a sudden Misa realized that most probably, Hikaru had done the same... went to that restaurant in hopes of meeting her. She felt so miserable: she would have loved to go out to eat too... She would have liked to eat a huge bowl of udon and feel like a normal girl... along ... with him. But Ichijo loved Minmay. Abruptly, Misa became painfully aware that of all the people she wanted to be on Macross with, there was no one she wanted to be with, but him. She flopped limply on her elbows, hit a glass that rolled briefly on the table, fell and sank into the damp floor. She rested her cheeks on her crossed arms and simply began to sob.

Like a child she cried because she couldn't have what she wanted

-I want to go home...where everyone is...

she said with a broken voice.

But her heart said something different:

I want to go home... with you

Ichijo looked at her in dismay and saw her so defeated, so hopeless, when all he wanted was to see her smile.

_What can I do?_

Suddenly he got up from the chair and covered the distance between them, immediately and without thinking, took both of Commander Hayase's hands and forced her to get up. She stared at him in alarm, but let him guide her docilely, until they were on front of each other. He looked at her and nodded with determination, as if he had heard what her heart was crying through those tears. He said without speaking what she wanted to hear.

Two large, round tears, fell like raindrops from Misa's green eyes.

-Ichijo-kun

she said in a whisper.

_If you want a woman take her hand, hold her, and then... kiss her..._

Hikaru could no longer think about how to do what he wanted to do, but he was just dragged by his deepest instincts: no way to dither any longer, of that, he was sure. Slowly he lifted his left hand up to her shoulder, resting in an undefined spot between her neck and collarbone. Misa's skin trembled imperceptibly at the touch of his fingertips. Hikaru tilted his head slightly to the opposite side, until he brushed the soft flesh of her lips with his own. The moment seemed to last ages. They both stopped breathing. Misa couldn't take her eyes off his face, she didn't believe this was really happening. Then, she lowered her eyelids and it was the signal that Hikaru was waiting for. He covered her soft mouth with his, and Misa felt a wonderful warmth wash over her.

Hikaru's kissing lips were like in that dream... warm, soft, moist, devouring... but the kiss was tender, devoted... he squeezed Misa's hand tighter and pressed it against his heart.

Misa surrendered to his lips, letting his arms encircle her. Her mouth opened slightly and Hikaru made his way in with the tip of his tongue. The contact made them shudder, it was as if they had waited their entire lives for this single moment. Something that couldn't be put into words, yes it was.

Hikaru ran his fingers through the thick mass of her hair, while with the other arm, folded her waist. He was holding her with all the strength flowing through his young body, like an endless stream.

Misa let herself fall into his kiss. She clung to him as their tongues searched for each other and their lips locked. It was after an indefinite time that their hands started to move frantically on the other's backs. The sun was setting on the skyline, enlightening the city of the Abyss and makin'it shine, as if it was made of mirrors that endlessly reflected the sunlight.

Their lips parted when their breaths were completely gone. They remained in silence, still shocked by what had happened: they wanted to talk, but didn't know the proper words for a time like this. Everything was new: both felt like it was time to cross the line, and even without speaking, they knew they would cross that line together.

**Start of a love scene, if it's not your cup of tea, please skip to chapter 5**

Hikaru literally lifted her into his arms, as he climbed the steps that led to the room next to the front door. At least the floor wasn't flooded: the walls emanated an inebriating marine smell, and the walls and ground were covered with a soft sea vegetation. Misa leaned against a wall and looked up at him: her eyes in the half-light shone in expectation.

Hikaru was thinking franticly, in his mind, Focker's words were repeating incessantly

_If you want a woman you got to make her yours..._

Hikaru shook his head as if to chase away that image and gently caressed her cheek, tracing the line of her jaw and neck ... then he placed his palm around her throat, just like he did when she was asleep. The feeling of her smooth skin made his head spin, feeling that at any moment he could lose all control, his whole body quivering with desire. Yet he didn't move, as if waiting for a signal from her again. Misa was thanked she had a wall behind her back, cause she felt balance failing at every moment. An unfamiliar feeling was growing in her center, inside her legs. At the touch of his fingers, she felt something warm melting, right there. Her green eyes turned almost dark as she savored his caresses.

_What should I do?_

She lifted her face to his as in plea: and then he took her mouth between his lips again, this time driven by an uncontrollable urge. He held her head in his hands while he pressed his whole body against hers. That kind of passion left Misa breathless for a moment, then she returned the kiss with the same intensity and intertwined her fingers on the back of his neck, grasping his wild hair.

Hikaru never ceased stroking her arms, her shoulders, her neck and back until he reached the base of her spine where he was stopped by the space-suit belt.

Their lips parted, both were panting

-Hayase-san, you...

he could not bring himself to continue.

Her breasts went up and down as she breathed heavily, and that vision ended up exciting him even more. He hugged her, holding her even tighter.

-Hayase-san

he whispered in her ear

-Have you ever...?

Misa nodded, burying her face in his neck

-Just once... and... and you?

Hikaru smiled as she traced a smooth line of kisses across her ear and neck

-Only two...

Misa just couldn't believe what she was doing, but she grabbed both of his hands and placed them firmly on the zipper of her suit. They both smiled as the zipper ran below their hands, opening from the neck to the waist. In the flickering light, Hikaru caught sight of a thin slice of pure white skin, peeking out from the tight, fading fabric, then he almost ripped the sleeves off her shoulders, pulling the suit down to her ankles. She stayed motionless while Ichijo passed both hands under her black shirt, caressing her belly, her back and her ribcage. When his fingertip landed at the base of one of her breasts, Hikaru stopped breathing. He thought she was beautiful, she was so beautiful ...he felt like going crazy.

Within minutes they were completely naked, their uniforms squashed beneath them, slipping viscously on the strange seagrass floor. Misa was lying below him, her damp eyes watching him, waiting.

_Who d'ya think is in charge here, the man or the woman?_

That stupid line came back to her mind... was one of the many times when she'd harshly scolded him on Macross. But now it was just the two of them, it was a man and a woman, and they were in agreement.

How strange it was. She had never wanted anything so much in her entire life. Maybe her previous life simply was gone. And in any case, she wouldn't ever want to go back.

Misa drifted in that sea of emotions, as she caressed his muscular arms, his formed chest and perfect abdomen. She lost in the scent of his body. She kissed and stroked all his scars, some rough and hardened, some still fresh as wounds. Never stopping kissing her, he cupped both her breasts with his large hands: the nipples tensed immediately and Misa let go a moan into his mouth... Hikaru was trying to be careful and tried to be gentle: but his youth and inexperience were making him grow impatient. She was so tender and yet so confident: he felt as if was being kissed and touched with the petals of a flower. Hikaru ran his tongue down her chest to her neck and there, his lips collided with two small glass spheres dangling from a thin line.

-But that is...

he exclaimed, slightly tilting his face up and widening his eyes.

Misa smiled, instinctively touching the necklace

-You gave it to me, Ichijo-kun... I've always kept it on... this whole time.

Misa turned her gaze away awkwardly: in a similar kind of situation where their bodies were madly seeking each other, these words sounded like a declaration of love. They kissed smilingly, fratically clashing lips and teeth.

Misa was so wet that Hikaru's fingers quickly slid into her. As he started to move his fingertip, her breathe became soft and warmer. She was moving too, eagerly wanting him inside her.

_Is it real?_

Hikaru, balancing on a one elbow, carefully parted the folds of her center: when she sensed him pushing she shuddered and Hikaru felt like an ancestral fright washing over him: they were both inexperienced and at first it was bizarre, almost painful.

Hikaru squeezed his eyes, feeling the rush of falling into the sea from a very high cliff. She was that sea.

Misa felt an unknown bewilderment as if her womanhood had finally found its form and shape. Hikaru filled her and she enfolded him. Their bodies fit together perfectly.

It was already dark now and the silence was broken only by their sighs. Slivers of water dropped occasionally on their mute encounter of bodies and souls. They were moving to the unknown rhythm they were learning at that same time. Misa clung to his neck, her eyes widening with each thrust. The deeper he entered her, the more she held onto his body. The thrusts came from their own selves and were conveyed to the ground of that ancient millenary city, buried for centuries in the vastness of the sea. The Earth was giving back them all that it had cherished.

But now there was only a man and a woman and a time that existed between them, just the two of them. Misa sensed that a force beyond her control was taking over. She shook her hair and climbed on top of him. Now Hikaru was lying on his back and she stood, motionless.

She felt the unbearably sweet sensation of being pierced. Hikaru stared at her in amazement, as she arose like some mysterious godness amidst the rubble of that city lightened only by the moon.

Her skin was silvery and her hair was a darker shade of bronze. Misa lifted her head and from the broken ceiling, she could see the immensity of the stars in the sky. That infinite space where she knew she belonged. Encouraged by Hikaru she began to move, slowly at first, then more and more frantically as her sighs became louder.

Pleasure was changing Misa's features: it was a sweet torture for Hikaru, and at that very moment he wanted more than anything to be close, as close to her as he could... he raised up on his elbows, as she continued to sway rhythmically over him and lifted his torso with just the strength of his abdominal muscles. His hands worked their way up her hips and waist as their bodies aligned vertically.

He reached her, face to face, their eyes mirrored. Both remained still and silent in some strange sense of happening. They were connected at the deepest of their core.

Misa's hair was damp and slippery, her eyes bending in sweet delight: he sighed as he cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand.

-You are so beautiful...

Without knowing exactly what was happening, Hikaru slowly, thrust in her even deeper, and Misa realized that she couldn't stand the sweet pain much longer.  
She felt she was slowly fading in his arms. From the highest. She gently ran her fingertips over his forehead in wonder.

-Hikaru...

she murmured, calling his name for the first time.

As he heard her call, he realized he couldn't take it anymore, and with one, last, desperate thrust, he reached her pleading lips.

-Misa...

he moaned on her warm breath

At that very moment their bodies simultaneously melted into a rushing sea of pleasure.

Misa desperately held on to him, as she was overcome with ecstasy.

_So is this...love?_

**epilogue in chapter 5**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> notes:
> 
> * "Who are you!? What's your name?". I took some sentences in Zentraedi language from a compendium for Robotech role-playing games.
> 
> ** Kampai- "Cheers" in Japanese
> 
> *** Sole meunière is a classic French fish dish, Hikaru talks about it in Sukehiro Tomita's novel
> 
> **** Obasan- "Old lady" in Japanese


	5. Chapter 5

**EARTH WANDERERS**

**A Hikaru and Misa story**

**chapter 5 - epilogue**

Dawn surprised them naked in each other's arms. Their skins were glistening with dew. Hikaru's eyes opened wide. For a second, he was not sure where he was, until he felt Misa's soft body next to him.  
Instinctively he pulled close to her, burying his face in her hair.  
If this was a dream he didn't want to wake up.

Then the memories of what they had done the night before almost made his blood beat stop. He opened his eyes, she was still there.

_It's not a dream..._

He didn't want to wake her up and stood quite still, wandering his eyes over her white body, trying to memorize every single inch of her skin. He took a long glance at her face, at her long eyelashes. Her perfectly rounded shoulder bones. Her soft breasts that, only few hours before, he had kissed madly.

The little necklace he had given her.

He cautiously ran his thumb over the small, cold spheres. Then his fingers lingered on her chest.

She was so beautiful that somehow it ached. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight his instincts.

But soon he couldn't help the impulse to kiss her on the lips: it was passionate enough, because she woke up. Her green eyes were bright in the sunlight, hypnotic.

-Hey - said Hikaru

-Hey - said Misa

They stared at each other for long minutes.

Misa felt that if she had made a move, she'd have died of embarrassment . The memory of what they'd done the night before almost cut off her breath.

_What are we going to do now?_

-What are we going to do now?

She 'd been thinking out loud because Hikaru answered her.

-I... I don't know... but I think that as long as we stay together... everything will be alright.

Misa looked at him incredulously. He raised himself up on his elbow and leaned over her. He put his palm on her face, lovingly: Misa lifted her hand and placed it on top of his. She was lost in Hikaru's blue gaze. Her heart beat wildly as she watched again the sheer perfection of his features and body. The memory of his caresses, the feel of his skin on hers nearly drove her crazy with excitement.

-Together...

she murmured

Hikaru nodded silently, then smiled

-Together.

* * *

-Is it moving again!?

Misa staggered, wobbling as she was putting on the top of her flight suit. She leaned against a wall in the room, unsteady.

Hikaru who was already dressed, ran up and caught her in his arms before she fell down.

He raised his head peering through the broken ceiling

-No... it's not the city... it seems to come from the sky...

Misa spread her eyes wide: they looked at each other in deep amazement. Then ran out into the yard beyond the house.

A mighty rumble was approaching at a pressing speed.

The two young officers were simply speechless, as a rush of joy filled their hearts.

-Macross!

The giant shape of the majestic Space Fortress filled the horizon, rippling the surface of the sea as it approached.

-Misa! Your signal has reached them!

Misa nodded and with a little cry jumped into his arms. Tears of happiness flowed relentlessly down her cheeks. Hikaru grabbed her head in his hands, wiping her face with his thumbs.

-Misa...

She laughed and cried at the same time. Her heart was full of both joy and fear, what were they gonna do from now on?

Macross had come for them, the crew was still alive, so had they succeeded in defeating the enemy? How was that possible? And what about the civilians? And Minmay...

A thousand questions flooded Misa's mind, but she forced herself to ignore them... Didn't want to think about it ... She just wanted to enjoy the happiness she felt now, together with him.

_Yes, he's right, everything will be fine as long as we are together._

Hikaru lifted her up again in his arms and kissed her softly.

When the Macross radars spotted them on the city square, they were still hugging, lost in an endless kiss.

_Right now, I hear your voice  
saying "Come here to me"_

_Just when it seemed loneliness had beaten me.  
Right now, I see you  
walking over to me._

_I close my eyes and wait for you to come_

_Till yesterday my heart seemed only fill with tears but now..._

_Do you remember? The time when our eyes first met?  
Do you remember? The time when our hands first touched?  
That was the very first time I set out on the journey of love.  
I love you so.*_

**end**

* English translation of "Ai Oboete Imasu Ka?" Macross: Do you remember love? music theme, performed by Lynn Minmay- Mari Ijiima, 1984


End file.
